James Potter and the Madness Within
by Marauders4EVR
Summary: The Marauders are back for their second year of Hogwarts. The world is on the verge of war and James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew soon realize that it's going to take more than a few dungbombs and sheer luck to get by. And when a dark secret emerges, the four must come to terms with what it truly means to be a Marauder.
1. Chapter 1

James Potter and the Madness Within

Summary: The Marauders are back for their second year of Hogwarts. The world is on the verge of war and James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew soon realize that it's going to take more than a few dungbombs and sheer luck to get by. And when a dark secret emerges, the four must come to terms with what it truly means to be a Marauder.

Disclaimer: Gryffindor is red. Ravenclaw is blue. I don't own Harry Potter but neither do you! Rather, Harry Potter owns me. I honestly cannot remember a time when it wasn't a massive part of my life. I close my eyes and see Hogwarts. I can see James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter as if they were causally sitting on my couch. I can taste Bertie Botts and Chocolate Frogs and pumpkin juice. I can hear the Quidditch games and smell the Dungbombs.

Author's Note: Two years ago—while I was struggling through surgeries, hospitalizations, and my senior year of high school—I posted _James Potter and the Tomb of Slytherin._ But the Marauders have always been a huge story in the back of my mind. And so, as I healthily make my way through my second year of college, I figured that it was time that I posted the second story. I would highly recommend reading _Tomb of Slytherin_ for this story to make more sense. Some things might be a bit different than other Marauders-era stories. For example, the Aurors and the war are a huge part of the Marauders' lives. Then again, they're also a huge part of everyone's lives at the moment. The war hasn't quite begun but they are definitely lingering on the edges of the battle. Tensions are high and the danger is growing. Death Eaters are beginning their merciless attacks. Some families, such as the Potters, are doing whatever they can to help the Aurors. Others, such as the Blacks (Sirius excluded, of course) are doing whatever they can to aid the Death Eaters. Entire families are split by the war.

And speaking of families being split…a good section of this story focuses on one of my favorite topics regarding the Marauders: Lupin's lycanthropy. I've already written the majority of this story and I have loved diving into the possibilities of the Marauders dealing with the fact that he is a werewolf. It's not going to come until much later in the story, but there is plenty leading up to it. The psychology and power behind it is very emotional.

So, I truly hope that you enjoy this story because as I've said, the Marauders hold a huge part in my heart and I have already put so much into this story.

Without further ado…_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…_

Chapter One

The corpulent king was about to fall. It could not be prevented, only postponed. His life was sacrosanct and yet was in the hands of his subjects. One courageous knight leapt across the battlefield, his moves erratic and fickle. The enemy merely sent forward a pawn, taunting the knight. The bluff worked, for the knight paused, aware that the battle was lost.

"It's your move, son."

James Potter stared down at the chessboard with the utmost contempt. His father smiled, patiently waiting. The seconds crawled by, and yet James refused to move a piece.

"There is no shame in laying down your king," Mr. Potter gently said, "You've fought a good battle."

Even so, a large amount of black pieces littered the board. Only James' white knight and king remained.

"Give me a minute," James muttered.

He reached forward, gently picking up the knight. It was a fruitless motion, for the pieces would normally move themselves.

James Potter wasn't a typical twelve-year old. James was a wizard, and grew up in a world of magic and wonder. In several weeks, James would return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his second term.

James was reluctant to see the last weeks of summer leave, but was rather excited to get back to Hogwarts. With its massive towers, torch-lit corridors, moving portraits, and endless secret passageways, it was any prankster's dream. James' first year had been one filled with mischief, excitement, and perilous quests. He didn't need to face it alone, however.

As if on cue, Mrs. Potter entered the parlor, saying, "We have company."

The rest of her sentence was drowned out by several pairs of pounding footsteps. Three shrill voices penetrated James' concentration.

"JAMES!"

James' view was abruptly obstructed by three grinning boys. The chess game forgotten, James laughed and greeted the other Marauders.

Sirius Black was a tall mess of arms and legs. His raven black hair reached the center of his back, and fell into his silver eyes. The sun had gotten to him, as opposed to Remus Lupin, who looked quite pale. James briefly wondered if Lupin was ill, for he was thinner and frailer than usual. Dark circles sat beneath his amber eyes, blending in with the harsh scars that lined his face. Peter Pettigrew was a lumpy boy with watery eyes and rather large teeth. He always seemed as though he were on the verge of a mental breakdown, but he was loyal enough to be considered a Marauder.

Lupin, Peter, Sirius, and James—four friends who might as well have been brothers. The Marauders were both famous and infamous throughout Hogwarts. Aside from being notorious pranksters, they were cunning, decisive, and on their way to becoming Aurors. For, much like the chessboard, a battle was brewing in the Wizarding World. An evil wizard, known simply as Lord Voldemort, was rising to power with fatal consequences. His followers, Death Eaters, were known for holding no mercy, as they attacked both wizards and nonwizards alike.

James' father was an Auror. For a while, he had been suspended from the front line, due to an argument between James and Admiral Cornelius Fudge—Mr. Potter's supervisor. Along with Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Alastor Moody, one of the greatest Aurors in the world, Mr. Potter recognized the potential that the Marauders had. He had lent the Marauders an assortment of equipment from the Auror Office. After all, the world definitely needed more fighters. Then again, the Marauders had used most of the equipment to aide their pranks and schemes. Mr. Potter was now back on the line though James still managed to nick a few supplies. You never know when a grenade could be useful at Hogwarts.

With the excessive injuries that the world was facing, Mrs. Potter had come out of retirement, resuming her position as a Healer in Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She went unpaid, for the Potters certainly didn't need any more money.

Mrs. Potter now bustled about, saying, "Can I get you boys a cuppa? Perhaps some biscuits? I could fry up some eggs, if you'd like."

"That all sounds great, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said, enthusiastically.

Mrs. Potter's smile faded ever so slightly and she exasperatedly repeated, "All?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sirius said.

Then, in a small voice that was just enough to pass for helplessness, he added, "I can't remember the last time my own mother cooked something for me."

"We don't want to be any trouble," Lupin hastily cut in. James grimaced, knowing that Lupin could probably use a good meal. Although James had never been to his house, it didn't take much to know that Lupin and his mother were poor. His robes were tattered and patched, his school supplies were used, and he didn't have a knut to spare.

Mrs. Potter seemed to sense this too for she said, "Of course, it's no trouble. I'll add some sausage for good measure. Why don't you four go up to James' room, and wait?"

James realized that he was still holding the knight. He went to return it, but his father held up his hand, "Keep it. It suits you."

James shrugged, pocketing it, and following the others through the manor. By the time they reached his room, they could all smell the delectable food.

"Nice one, mate," Peter complimented Sirius' bluff.

"I wasn't joking," Sirius gloomily admitted, "I really can't remember the last time my mum cooked for me."

Sirius' parents were huge supporters of Lord Voldemort, causing him to grow up in a house that worshipped evil. He had run into several spots of trouble last year, as his parents didn't approve of Gryffindor nor did they like the Marauders.

The subject was quickly changed as they noticed the state of James' room.

"Blimey, mate," Lupin wrinkled his nose at the mess.

"I'm surprised that you remembered to get dressed without us," Sirius snorted.

"I wasn't expecting company," James said, defensively.

Lupin instinctively bent down and began to tidy up. He picked up several books, staring at them with interest. The one was written by a Muggle author, and was all about a decisive detective, who solved many different mysteries with his partner. The other was an informative book on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. James quickly strode forward and grabbed this one, shelving it before Lupin could ask.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here?" James shortly asked.

"The carnival, remember?" Peter cried, ecstatic at the thought.

James tilted his head, not understanding.

"You have no idea what day it is, do you?" Peter asked, his smile fading. When James didn't answer, Peter exasperatedly continued, "It's my birthday. Well, tomorrow is. Today was the last day of the Regional Carnival. You promised that we could go, to celebrate."

James internally groaned. He had completely forgotten!

"Are you alright, mate?" Lupin asked, as if reading his mind, "That's not something that you'd usually miss."

"Yeah," James said, forcing a grin, "I'm fine. 'Course I remember, Peter. I was just joking."

Peter sighed with relief, "For a second, I thought that you truly forgot."

"As did I," Lupin said, suspiciously.

James' hasty response was drowned out as Mrs. Potter called them back down. The food that littered the table was enough to make them salivate. In the center of the table was a large cake with the worlds: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PETER written in icing.

James shot his mother a very thankful glance and the four dug in.

When they were about to burst, Sirius finally pulled James aside and repeated Lupin's earlier statement, "_Are_ you alright, mate?"

"Fine," James said, avoiding his gaze.

"The Tomb of Slytherin getting to you, again?" Sirius asked, understandingly.

"The Healer said that it would be easier as time passes," James said, "But…"

"So, we nearly drowned," Sirius shrugged, "I still don't see how that's traumatizing."

"What exactly is traumatizing?" Lupin asked, coming up behind them.

"Nothing," Sirius and James simultaneously answered.

Ignoring Lupin's suspicious look, Sirius asked, "So, how are we getting to the Carnival?"

"How else?" James grinned, "We fly, of course!"

He promptly led the way outside towards the broom-shed, but was dismayed to find Mr. Potter leaning against it, shaking his head.

"We walk, of course," James said, already knowing what his father was going to say.

"The Carnival will be comprised of mostly Muggles," Mr. Potter explained, "We can't risk you being seen. Besides, it's only a few miles away."

"Fine," James sighed, "We could use the exercise anyway."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "These last few weeks off have made me rather flabby. I've gained an entire pound."

"What a nightmare," Peter and Lupin sarcastically chorused, for very different reasons.

"Right," James said, rubbing his hands together, "I suppose we need a challenge. The first one to get to the carnival wins."

"Isn't that a little childish?" Lupin asked.

And yet, he still joined the Marauders as they shouted, "Three…two…one…GO!"

They raced off.

James knew the countryside like the back of his hand, and was able to cut through the woods and down a dirt path. He reached the carnival first, with Sirius close behind.

The two high-fived, before catching their breath. James then looked up and spotted a booth, which sold candy floss.

James grinned, "Up for a bit more running?"

"Ready when you are," Sirius smirked.

He slipped a small firecracker out of his pocket, along with a match. He lit the firecracker and deviously threw it into the candy floss machine. The two raced away, cackling.

They didn't stop until they were on the other side of the carnival.

"Want to go to the popcorn stand, next?" Sirius asked, rubbing his hands together.

At that moment, however, two pink blobs strolled towards them. James tensed before realizing that it was merely Lupin and Peter.

"Candy floss?" Lupin lightly asked.

The four threw their heads back and laughed.

"Come on," James cried, "Let's go onto the rollercoaster. It's supposed to be wicked fast and damn near impossible to come off not vomiting."

The others gleefully agreed.

They clambered into the carts, and the Carney pulled the harnesses over them. James swallowed as the restraints tightened around him.

The Carney pulled the lever and they shot off. James' anxiety dissolved, and he allowed himself to relax. He even laughed, as they zoomed up into a loop. His euphoria was short-lived, however, as the cart came to a screeching halt, leaving them upside-down.

"What's happening?" Sirius grunted.

"Have we broken down?" Peter yelped, from behind James.

"I dunno," James replied. He was aware that the other members on the cart were beginning to speculate, their voices growing higher and louder.

"Relax," James called, "Everyone, just relax!"

It was easier said than done. Even James was beginning to breathe unevenly, the harness crushing against him. They were completely trapped. There was nowhere to go. James closed his eyes, breaking out into a sweat. A scream penetrated the still air. It came from Peter, who was straining against his harness to stare up into the sky.

"What is it, Peter?" James roared, "What's wrong?"

He quieted, as he saw exactly what it was. The clouds were darkening. As James watched, they transformed into a colossal skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth.

The carnival was being attacked by Death Eaters!

Author's Note: - Cue the dramatic chord on the organ –

Like I said, it's slightly different than the other Marauders-era stories but I've had some of these headcanons for years. I appreciate every single review that I get!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you for the wonderful reviews so far! They mean a lot!

Chapter Two

"James?"

"Do something, mate!"

"Help us!"

"What's wrong with him?"

"Everybody, shut up," James whispered, closing his eyes.

"Come on, mate!"

"Stop fooling around."

"SHUT UP!" James bellowed.

This time, the other three complied. The Muggles were beginning to panic. James could hear screams below, as the Death Eaters hailed down, like deadly torrents of bullets.

"Just ignore them," Sirius hissed, next to him, "Ignore them, mate."

James gritted his teeth, squirming against the restraints. After several tense moments, his wand was able to fall out into his waiting hand.

"No," Lupin hissed, behind him, "It's illegal!"

"You really need to sort out your priorities, mate," James growled.

He swished his wand, roaring, "Reducto!"

The four restraints split, and the Marauders fell to the ground. Peter grunted in pain as he smacked his wrist against the concrete.

"Are you okay?" Lupin urgently asked.

Peter's whimper was drowned out by a terrible noise. The Death Eaters were flying around the rollercoaster, setting the structure ablaze. Without warning, it completely collapsed.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" James bellowed. The cart halted in midair. James gently flipped it over, bringing the people down to the ground and out of harm's way.

Meanwhile, Sirius had rapidly screamed, "PROTEGO!"

A shield erupted from his wand, preventing them from being crushed by the debris. It rained around them. James grabbed Lupin and Peter, using his own body to shield them. They suddenly heard an earsplitting scream. James' blood froze as he looked up. Sirius was sprawled on the ground, his leg pinned by a metal beam. James screamed his name, but no sound came out. He raced over and was horrified to see that Sirius' leg was a bloody, mangled, mess.

"James," Sirius whispered, his eyes as wide as Galleons, "Oh Merlin, James."

"Stay with me, Sirius," James ordered, desperately looking around, "Help! HELP!"

"James," Lupin shouted, "They're coming!"

Sure enough, several Death Eaters were zooming towards them. Their laughs had no mercy as they raised their wands. James closed his eyes, helplessly.

Fortunately, the curses never hit them.

James opened his eyes and realized that they were surrounded by Aurors. Somebody grabbed the scruff of his shirt. James shouted Sirius' name and frantically lunged towards his friend. Unfortunately, but the man held him tight. He suddenly found himself Side-Apparating.

James blinked as he landed in a bright room. It was a moment before he realized that he was standing in a ward of Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Alastor Moody was shaking him and growling, "Potter, can you hear me?"

Alastor Moody was an Auror and a good friend of their father's. James had the utmost respect for him. Nevertheless, he still tried to wiggle away as he gasped, "Sirius is hurt! We have to go back!"

"Calm down," Moody curtly said, "We're getting him."

"But…"

"Stand at attention," Moody ordered, as gently as he could—not quite gentle at all.

A nearby Auror spun around and cried, "Merlin's beard, Alastor! You can't talk to him as if he's an Auror!"

"This is Potter's son," Moody explained, "He knows what it means."

Indeed, James nervously straightened up. He pulled his shoulders back, put his heels together, balled his fists, and tried to stare ahead. He briefly wondered if Moody had done this to keep him from running off. He briefly wondered what Moody would do if he _did_ run off.

A series of pops echoed through the ward as dozens Aurors and Healers appeared. Two of them held Lupin and Peter. Two more were supporting Sirius, whisking him away into a back room. James tried to go after him but Moody briskly said, "I ordered you to stand at attention."

"He's hurt," James pressed.

"Stand at attention, Potter," Moody repeated.

"Why?" James snapped.

"Because you have a tendency to get yourself into things that you shouldn't be getting yourself into!" Moody cried, "And I don't have time to babysit right now, so I figured that I would at least ensure that you stayed in one place."

James frowned at the remark but Moody didn't seem to care. Instead, Moody turned to a group of Aurors and roared, "Move out! Code Green. Those of you under Potter's command will return to the carnival…"

"My command?" James repeated.

"Your father's," Moody corrected, before saying, "Standing at attention means that you remain silent. Now, the rest of you lot best get to the Ministry. It's going to be a long night."

"What should we do?" James asked, trying to keep the eagerness from his voice.

"You stand at attention."

"I can't just stand here," James cried, "I need to help my father! I need to help Sirius!"

Moody whirled around, until his face was an inch from James, "What part of standing at attention don't you understand, Potter? You want to be an Auror so bad, you can start by following a basic instruction! Now, you, Lupin, and Pettigrew will sit on that bench, and will wait for further instruction. You will not leave this hospital. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," James said, and the other two nodded.

"You will not speak to anyone," Moody continued, "Save for me, yourselves, and your mother. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," James, Lupin and Peter chorused.

"Thanks for saving our lives," James quietly added.

Moody gave him a wry smile and said, "Part of the job, kid."

James blinked and the Aurors were gone. He swallowed and glanced at the others. Lupin looked incredibly pale and Peter was bawling.

"Come on," James weakly said, "Let's do as he says."

They nervously sat down, watching as healers and patients passed by in a sea of chaos.

Time crawled by in a way that James couldn't read. He could've been waiting for five minutes or five hours. It was all the same. At some point, he was aware that he was holding a vial of bubbling, purple, liquid. He caught his mother's attention, as she rushed past.

"What is this? The Healers keep trying to hand this to me. What is it?"

"Drink it, dear."

"Yes, but what is it?"

"It's a potion."

"A potion?"

"Yes dear. Do drink it."

"Yes, I'll drink it. I should drink it. But why?"

"James, you are in shock. This will help you."

"Shock?"

"Shock. You are in shock, James. This potion will help."

"Why? What will it do?"

"It will put you to sleep."

"What'd she say, Remus?"

"It'll put you to sleep."

"Put me to sleep?"

"Apparently."

"But why?"

"You're in shock."

"No, that doesn't make sense," James said, his frustration growing, "Why would I want to go to sleep? What good are nightmares in this situation?"

"The potion provides pleasant dreams," Mrs. Potter assured him.

"No," James shook his head, the whole situation not sitting right with him, "No, that's even worse. I don't want to have fake dreams. I'd rather have nightmares than have dreams that aren't real. What good is that?"

Mrs. Potter threw Lupin a pleading and confused look, but the latter merely shrugged and said, "He's your son, after all."

"No," James continued, "This is not right. I won't take it."

"It's perfectly safe," Mrs. Potter continued, "We gave it to Sirius."

Lupin and Peter flinched, as though expecting James to yell. Instead, he kept his calm demeanor, as he said, "Yes, well that makes perfect sense. Sirius just had his leg crushed. He was probably in shock."

Lupin rubbed the bridge of his nose, his patience waning.

James, meanwhile, felt as though he could feel every part of his body, pulsing and working uniformly. He could hear the Healers murmuring about another patient, and the lights above were much too bright.

"Why would they make the lights so bright?" James wondered, aloud, "What sense is there, in that? How is anyone supposed to think that way? No, I don't think that I'll take this potion, after all. If they can get me a potion that will allow somebody to tell me how Sirius is, then maybe I'll take that. Blimey, I need some air."

"You're not supposed to leave the ward," Peter muttered.

"The hospital, he said. I'm not supposed to leave the hospital. Does Saint Mungo's still have a complimentary Owlery? Oh, no need to get up. I'll find my way."

With that, James set off, his robes billowing behind him.

oOo

James awoke several hours later by a rather harsh tap to his cheek.

"Huh?"

He blinked awake and looked around. He was sitting in the Owlery, squashed between two barn owls. His cloak was littered with feathers and droppings, but he paid those no mind.

Lupin was crouched next to him, looking apprehensive.

"Are you alright, mate?" Lupin asked.

"Fine," James muttered, "Sirius?"

"He's still in the back room," Lupin explained, yawning, "Peter dozed off about five minutes after you left."

He helped James to his feet, saying, "So, how did you sleep?"

"Horribly, thank you for asking," James remarked, "I have a wicked headache..."

"Yeah?" Lupin asked, lightly, "Well, you haven't eaten since the carnival."

"What time is it?"

"It's about two in the morning. Come to think of it," Lupin said, suddenly looking quite disturbed, "You haven't used the bathroom, in that time."

"Err…yeah, I have," James mumbled.

Lupin tilted his head, before taking a small side-step away from James. James realized that he was holding something and slowly asked, "Remus, why am I holding a walking stick?"

"Ah," Lupin said, not sure whether he should laugh or grimace, "Well, you stole that from an elderly wizard and promptly destroyed the complimentary Pumpkin Juice dispenser."

"Oh yeah," James brightened, as he remembered, "Nice chap."

The two headed back down to the ward and realized that Peter was not alone. Moody had returned, and was looking displeased.

"I told you to stay here," Moody snapped.

"No," James said, slowly, "You told us that we couldn't leave the hospital. We didn't."

Moody sighed, but couldn't argue with that. James offered him a smug grin before immediately sobering and asking, "Where are my parents?"

"Your mother is tending to Black," Moody said, "Your father is getting a few hours of sleep at the Auror Office."

"Is he okay?" James pressed.

"He's exhausted," Moody admitted, "He's an Auror."

"Who died?" James asked, going through his mental list of questions, "There was a Dark Mark. Doesn't that mean that somebody died?"

"Ordinarily," Moody agreed, "However, in this case it's believed that they knocked a Muggle unconscious and mistook him for a loss of life."

"Huh?" Peter blurted out, stirring awake.

Several things happened at once. A loud pop made the three Marauders jump as someone Apparated into the ward. James' blood boiled as he recognized the man. His fists clenched, and Moody threw him a cautionary glance.

Before anybody could say anything, however, a voice boomed through the quiet ward.

"DAMN IT, FUDGE! I TOLD YOU TO WAIT FOR ME! FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, LOWER YOUR WAND, BEFORE I SHOVE IT BETWEEN YOUR BUTTOCKS!"

That was enough to make anyone hesitate. James, Lupin, and Peter exchanged puzzled glances. Another man had Apparated onto the ward. James didn't recognize him and merely stared at him in awe.

The man was tall and broad, with shaggy brown hair that reached his shoulders. He could use a good shave and he had a scar that jutted across his cheek. Even though it was the brink of summer, he was wearing a long, dark, trench-coat. James realized that Moody was dressed similarly. James noted that the man was also equipped with an assortment of weapons. And yet it was the man's demeanor that caused James to stare. For he stood tall and proud, with an air of importance. He was definitely a man of whom James would not want to cross. He also noticed that the man was glaring at Fudge, who balked ever so slightly.

"Potter, Lupin, Pettigrew," Moody proudly said, "I would like you to meet Lieutenant General Venator. You already know Admiral Fudge."

James diverted his attention back to Moody and muttered, "We've met."

"Indeed," Fudge said, coolly, "Of course, it's all water under the bridge. I do apologize for what happened, Mister Potter."

James didn't answer.

"Potter, I asked for your forgiveness," Fudge said, shortly.

By now, the entire ward had gone quiet. Even those who had no business listening in couldn't help but to eavesdrop. You could have heard a quill drop. James glanced around, utterly aware that everyone was staring at him. Still, he did not deliver an answer.

"Potter," Fudge demanded, "Answer me."

James couldn't admit that he wasn't enjoying this. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and merely gave Fudge a cocky smile.

"Owl got your tongue, Potter?" Moody amusedly asked.

"Just following orders, sir," James casually replied, adding the last part for good measure.

Moody's jaw twitched as he understood. He shook his head and barked, "Potter, you have permission to openly speak."

"Much obliged," James politely replied, before turning to Fudge and roaring, "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Fudge looked livid as he hissed, "You shall mind your tone, Potter!"

Venator stepped forward, curtly growling, "You shall mind your place, Fudge."

This seemed to shut Fudge up; for a few moments, anyway.

Venator glanced at James, as though sizing him up, before asking, "So, this is Potter's son?"

"Ay," Moody nodded.

"Mm," Venator approvingly said, "Well, that's enough to go on."

Fudge stepped forward, sneering, "Well, I certainly hate to break up this cozy meeting, but the Minister is waiting."

"The Minister?" Lupin asked.

"Yes, you daft boy," Fudge cried, pulling out a schedule, "You lot have much to do. You must be identified and fingerprinted, for good measure. After that, you will be interrogated, to reveal your side of what happened. After that, the Minister personally would like to meet with you in order to praise your heroism."

He said the last word with utter disdain.

"Wait, we're not leaving," James said, shocked at the thought.

"Of course you are," Fudge said, distractedly, "The sooner the better, mind you."

James shook his head, clarifying, "Nobody has told us how Sirius is doing and we're not leaving until they do."

Moody and Venator didn't say anything, but both looked intrigued, if not amused.

Fudge looked incredulous as he cried, "It's the _Minister_!"

"Tell the Minister that she's welcome to come here," James arrogantly continued, "You see, we're _not_ leaving."

"You…you can't…"

"I just did," James smugly replied.

"Do you know who I am!?"

"Obviously," James replied, "That's why I'm not taking you seriously!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Fudge cried, his face a marvelous shade of magenta, "Now, come with me to the Ministry."

"No."

"Now, Potter!"

"NO!"

. The lights flickered overhead. Venator and Moody glanced up, both looking as though they were wondering if it was time to intervene. Yet they kept still as James continued, "I've had a long couple of hours, I'm pretty sure that I was in shock for a while, Sirius is hurt, and we're not leaving! What part of that don't you understand?"

"You're pretty sure that you were in shock?" Lupin muttered.

"I have it on good authority," James snickered.

Lupin's chuckle was muffled by loud pops. Two more men had appeared in the ward.

"Dad!" James excitedly cried.

"Mr. Potter! Kingsley!" Lupin and Peter gasped.

Mr. Potter looked relieved to see him. The other man was Kingsley Shacklebolt—who was only a decade older than James. He had started off as an intern in Mr. Potter's division but had soon worked his way up to being Mr. Potter's right-hand man. He also worked directly with the Minister, though James wasn't quite sure what he did.

Kingsley was cool—there was no other way to describe it. Right now, he glanced around the room and calmly asked, "Are we interrupting anything?"

"Not at all," Fudge and Venator said, the former fiercely and the latter casually.

"Mm," Kingsley said, "Well then, why is Peter crying?"

"Peter's not crying," James replied. He then spotted Peter and blurted out, "Peter, why are you crying?"

Peter shook his head, trying to deny the fact that tears were streaming down his face. The others stared at him, awkwardly waiting. He finally whispered, "I don't want to go to the Ministry. I just want to go home!"

"Alright mate," James said, awkwardly, "We'll go home, soon."

"But more people keep showing up," Peter bawled, "And…and I'm scared."

"Scared of the Death Eaters?" James asked, sympathetically.

Peter shook his head.

"Scared for Sirius?" Lupin offered.

"N…no. I'm scared of him."

He pointed towards Fudge, who angrily scoffed.

"Congratulations, Fudge," James said, falsely smiling, "You managed to make a twelve-year old boy cry."

"But I…"

"You should be ashamed," Lupin added.

"I didn't…"

"That certainly won't get you into the Minister's chair," James said with a snarky grin.

"_I'm_ not voting for him," Lupin loudly agreed, "I'd sooner vote for you, James."

"You don't vote for—"

"I humbly accept," James cried.

"Brilliant. James Potter for Minister!"

"People don't vote for the Minister!"

"No," James corrected, "People don't vote for _you_ to be the Minister!"

"Certainly not with your campaign," Lupin said with a wrinkled nose, "Or lack thereof."

"I don't have a campaign!"

"Brilliant!" James said, enthusiastically, "All the more easier to take the throne!"

"Enough!"

By now, the other four adults were standing straight, their arms behind their backs. James noticed that Kingsley and Mr. Potter were also wearing black trench-coats.

Fudge spluttered before saying, "This is preposterous. I am not about to be smarted by a twelve-year old boy! Now, you are going to the Ministry for Magic."

"Even if I wanted to," James pointed out, "I'm not sure that I should. You see, I haven't gotten any proper sleep in some time. Never mind the fact that we just suffered a traumatizing experience. I might snap and attack the Minister."

Fudge's eyes widened and he muttered, "I'll see if I can make some arrangements."

He hastily Apparated away.

"On a list of things that you shouldn't say to a Minister's Advisor," Mr. Potter gently spoke up, "Telling him that you may snap and attack the Minister may just fall beneath asking him if he wants to find out how Dungbombs work."

The ward was silent for a short minute. Finally, James hissed, "I hate that bloody man."

"Clearly," Venator said, his lip curling.

James took a deep breath before cheerfully turning towards Peter, "You all right?"

"Fine," Peter said, grinning mischievously.

Moody, Kingsley, and Mr. Potter chuckled as he and James high-fived. Venator remained straight-faced, but James was getting the impression that he rarely smiled.

The doors to the left opened and Mrs. Potter entered, "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing, Elizabeth," Mr. Potter said, assuredly, "How's Sirius?"

James, Peter, and Lupin also simultaneously asked the question.

"Calm down," Mrs. Potter said, "He's going to be alright though I'm afraid that his leg's going to take some time to heal."

"Can we see him?" James pressed.

Mrs. Potter hesitated, "Well…"

"Thanks Mum!" James cried, distractedly. The Marauders quickly pushed past her and entered the room.

Sirius was propped up in the first bed. His leg was heavily bandaged and he was attached to a weird monitor on a pole.

"How are you feeling?" James weakly asked.

"Sleepy," Sirius admitted before cheerfully adding, "No pain, though."

"Ah," Mrs. Potter sighed, "That's because I gave you several potions. I'm afraid that the pain will come. I'll try to hold it off."

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said, gratefully.

"There's no need to thank me, dear," Mrs. Potter said, her eyes quite puffy.

"How long did you say it would take for his leg to heal?" Lupin swallowed.

"I can't say," Mrs. Potter sighed, "It may be permanently affected."

James swore before flushing as his mother raised her eyebrows. He ruffled his hand through his hair, beyond stressed.

"Relax," Sirius advised, eyeing him closely, "Anyway, what were you three going on about out there?"

"Fudge," James spat.

"That piece of scum?" Sirius angrily scoffed.

"The one and only," Fudge said, coming through the doors.

"How'd you get past Venator?" Lupin demanded.

"Who the ruddy hell is Venator?" Sirius whispered.

"Some bad-ass that makes Fudge pee his pants," James whispered back.

"I had orders from the highest authority to come in," Fudge said, bringing himself back to full height, "The Minister, herself. You are to come to a dinner in your honor."

"Ah," James said, pleasantly, "That's why you're a pleasant shade of purple. Well, no thank you. I'm not that hungry."

"It's tomorrow night," Fudge said, looking victorious.

James sighed, but couldn't see any way around it. He stood tall and said, "Tell her that we would be honored to attend."

Fudge nodded and left.

"Must we?" Lupin sighed.

"Oi," James cried, "I'm not giving up the opportunity to sit next to the Minister! Think of what everyone will say when we come back!"

"We didn't really do anything that spectacular," Lupin modestly pointed out, "There's no need to attend a dinner."

"We're heroes," Sirius cried, "I have a war wound. James is right! The least the Minister could do is throw us a dinner."

Lupin crossed his arms and snapped, "Mrs. Potter, do you think that you can scan their heads for swelling?"

"I've already done so," Mrs. Potter joked, "No more than the usual. But it is a marvelous opportunity, dear. I would really go along."

"Fine," Lupin reluctantly admitted, "It _would_ be an honor to go."

James sighed, suddenly feeling winded. He sank onto the corner of Sirius' bed, before remembering something. He clapped his friend on the shoulder as he cheerfully said, "Happy Birthday, Peter!"


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you for the wonderful reviews so far! They mean a lot!

Chapter Two

"James?"

"Do something, mate!"

"Help us!"

"What's wrong with him?"

"Everybody, shut up," James whispered, closing his eyes.

"Come on, mate!"

"Stop fooling around."

"SHUT UP!" James bellowed.

This time, the other three complied. The Muggles were beginning to panic. James could hear screams below, as the Death Eaters hailed down, like deadly torrents of bullets.

"Just ignore them," Sirius hissed, next to him, "Ignore them, mate."

James gritted his teeth, squirming against the restraints. After several tense moments, his wand was able to fall out into his waiting hand.

"No," Lupin hissed, behind him, "It's illegal!"

"You really need to sort out your priorities, mate," James growled.

He swished his wand, roaring, "Reducto!"

The four restraints split, and the Marauders fell to the ground. Peter grunted in pain as he smacked his wrist against the concrete.

"Are you okay?" Lupin urgently asked.

Peter's whimper was drowned out by a terrible noise. The Death Eaters were flying around the rollercoaster, setting the structure ablaze. Without warning, it completely collapsed.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" James bellowed. The cart halted in midair. James gently flipped it over, bringing the people down to the ground and out of harm's way.

Meanwhile, Sirius had rapidly screamed, "PROTEGO!"

A shield erupted from his wand, preventing them from being crushed by the debris. It rained around them. James grabbed Lupin and Peter, using his own body to shield them. They suddenly heard an earsplitting scream. James' blood froze as he looked up. Sirius was sprawled on the ground, his leg pinned by a metal beam. James screamed his name, but no sound came out. He raced over and was horrified to see that Sirius' leg was a bloody, mangled, mess.

"James," Sirius whispered, his eyes as wide as Galleons, "Oh Merlin, James."

"Stay with me, Sirius," James ordered, desperately looking around, "Help! HELP!"

"James," Lupin shouted, "They're coming!"

Sure enough, several Death Eaters were zooming towards them. Their laughs had no mercy as they raised their wands. James closed his eyes, helplessly.

Fortunately, the curses never hit them.

James opened his eyes and realized that they were surrounded by Aurors. Somebody grabbed the scruff of his shirt. James shouted Sirius' name and frantically lunged towards his friend. Unfortunately, but the man held him tight. He suddenly found himself Side-Apparating.

James blinked as he landed in a bright room. It was a moment before he realized that he was standing in a ward of Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Alastor Moody was shaking him and growling, "Potter, can you hear me?"

Alastor Moody was an Auror and a good friend of their father's. James had the utmost respect for him. Nevertheless, he still tried to wiggle away as he gasped, "Sirius is hurt! We have to go back!"

"Calm down," Moody curtly said, "We're getting him."

"But…"

"Stand at attention," Moody ordered, as gently as he could—not quite gentle at all.

A nearby Auror spun around and cried, "Merlin's beard, Alastor! You can't talk to him as if he's an Auror!"

"This is Potter's son," Moody explained, "He knows what it means."

Indeed, James nervously straightened up. He pulled his shoulders back, put his heels together, balled his fists, and tried to stare ahead. He briefly wondered if Moody had done this to keep him from running off. He briefly wondered what Moody would do if he _did_ run off.

A series of pops echoed through the ward as dozens Aurors and Healers appeared. Two of them held Lupin and Peter. Two more were supporting Sirius, whisking him away into a back room. James tried to go after him but Moody briskly said, "I ordered you to stand at attention."

"He's hurt," James pressed.

"Stand at attention, Potter," Moody repeated.

"Why?" James snapped.

"Because you have a tendency to get yourself into things that you shouldn't be getting yourself into!" Moody cried, "And I don't have time to babysit right now, so I figured that I would at least ensure that you stayed in one place."

James frowned at the remark but Moody didn't seem to care. Instead, Moody turned to a group of Aurors and roared, "Move out! Code Green. Those of you under Potter's command will return to the carnival…"

"My command?" James repeated.

"Your father's," Moody corrected, before saying, "Standing at attention means that you remain silent. Now, the rest of you lot best get to the Ministry. It's going to be a long night."

"What should we do?" James asked, trying to keep the eagerness from his voice.

"You stand at attention."

"I can't just stand here," James cried, "I need to help my father! I need to help Sirius!"

Moody whirled around, until his face was an inch from James, "What part of standing at attention don't you understand, Potter? You want to be an Auror so bad, you can start by following a basic instruction! Now, you, Lupin, and Pettigrew will sit on that bench, and will wait for further instruction. You will not leave this hospital. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," James said, and the other two nodded.

"You will not speak to anyone," Moody continued, "Save for me, yourselves, and your mother. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," James, Lupin and Peter chorused.

"Thanks for saving our lives," James quietly added.

Moody gave him a wry smile and said, "Part of the job, kid."

James blinked and the Aurors were gone. He swallowed and glanced at the others. Lupin looked incredibly pale and Peter was bawling.

"Come on," James weakly said, "Let's do as he says."

They nervously sat down, watching as healers and patients passed by in a sea of chaos.

Time crawled by in a way that James couldn't read. He could've been waiting for five minutes or five hours. It was all the same. At some point, he was aware that he was holding a vial of bubbling, purple, liquid. He caught his mother's attention, as she rushed past.

"What is this? The Healers keep trying to hand this to me. What is it?"

"Drink it, dear."

"Yes, but what is it?"

"It's a potion."

"A potion?"

"Yes dear. Do drink it."

"Yes, I'll drink it. I should drink it. But why?"

"James, you are in shock. This will help you."

"Shock?"

"Shock. You are in shock, James. This potion will help."

"Why? What will it do?"

"It will put you to sleep."

"What'd she say, Remus?"

"It'll put you to sleep."

"Put me to sleep?"

"Apparently."

"But why?"

"You're in shock."

"No, that doesn't make sense," James said, his frustration growing, "Why would I want to go to sleep? What good are nightmares in this situation?"

"The potion provides pleasant dreams," Mrs. Potter assured him.

"No," James shook his head, the whole situation not sitting right with him, "No, that's even worse. I don't want to have fake dreams. I'd rather have nightmares than have dreams that aren't real. What good is that?"

Mrs. Potter threw Lupin a pleading and confused look, but the latter merely shrugged and said, "He's your son, after all."

"No," James continued, "This is not right. I won't take it."

"It's perfectly safe," Mrs. Potter continued, "We gave it to Sirius."

Lupin and Peter flinched, as though expecting James to yell. Instead, he kept his calm demeanor, as he said, "Yes, well that makes perfect sense. Sirius just had his leg crushed. He was probably in shock."

Lupin rubbed the bridge of his nose, his patience waning.

James, meanwhile, felt as though he could feel every part of his body, pulsing and working uniformly. He could hear the Healers murmuring about another patient, and the lights above were much too bright.

"Why would they make the lights so bright?" James wondered, aloud, "What sense is there, in that? How is anyone supposed to think that way? No, I don't think that I'll take this potion, after all. If they can get me a potion that will allow somebody to tell me how Sirius is, then maybe I'll take that. Blimey, I need some air."

"You're not supposed to leave the ward," Peter muttered.

"The hospital, he said. I'm not supposed to leave the hospital. Does Saint Mungo's still have a complimentary Owlery? Oh, no need to get up. I'll find my way."

With that, James set off, his robes billowing behind him.

oOo

James awoke several hours later by a rather harsh tap to his cheek.

"Huh?"

He blinked awake and looked around. He was sitting in the Owlery, squashed between two barn owls. His cloak was littered with feathers and droppings, but he paid those no mind.

Lupin was crouched next to him, looking apprehensive.

"Are you alright, mate?" Lupin asked.

"Fine," James muttered, "Sirius?"

"He's still in the back room," Lupin explained, yawning, "Peter dozed off about five minutes after you left."

He helped James to his feet, saying, "So, how did you sleep?"

"Horribly, thank you for asking," James remarked, "I have a wicked headache..."

"Yeah?" Lupin asked, lightly, "Well, you haven't eaten since the carnival."

"What time is it?"

"It's about two in the morning. Come to think of it," Lupin said, suddenly looking quite disturbed, "You haven't used the bathroom, in that time."

"Err…yeah, I have," James mumbled.

Lupin tilted his head, before taking a small side-step away from James. James realized that he was holding something and slowly asked, "Remus, why am I holding a walking stick?"

"Ah," Lupin said, not sure whether he should laugh or grimace, "Well, you stole that from an elderly wizard and promptly destroyed the complimentary Pumpkin Juice dispenser."

"Oh yeah," James brightened, as he remembered, "Nice chap."

The two headed back down to the ward and realized that Peter was not alone. Moody had returned, and was looking displeased.

"I told you to stay here," Moody snapped.

"No," James said, slowly, "You told us that we couldn't leave the hospital. We didn't."

Moody sighed, but couldn't argue with that. James offered him a smug grin before immediately sobering and asking, "Where are my parents?"

"Your mother is tending to Black," Moody said, "Your father is getting a few hours of sleep at the Auror Office."

"Is he okay?" James pressed.

"He's exhausted," Moody admitted, "He's an Auror."

"Who died?" James asked, going through his mental list of questions, "There was a Dark Mark. Doesn't that mean that somebody died?"

"Ordinarily," Moody agreed, "However, in this case it's believed that they knocked a Muggle unconscious and mistook him for a loss of life."

"Huh?" Peter blurted out, stirring awake.

Several things happened at once. A loud pop made the three Marauders jump as someone Apparated into the ward. James' blood boiled as he recognized the man. His fists clenched, and Moody threw him a cautionary glance.

Before anybody could say anything, however, a voice boomed through the quiet ward.

"DAMN IT, FUDGE! I TOLD YOU TO WAIT FOR ME! FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, LOWER YOUR WAND, BEFORE I SHOVE IT BETWEEN YOUR BUTTOCKS!"

That was enough to make anyone hesitate. James, Lupin, and Peter exchanged puzzled glances. Another man had Apparated onto the ward. James didn't recognize him and merely stared at him in awe.

The man was tall and broad, with shaggy brown hair that reached his shoulders. He could use a good shave and he had a scar that jutted across his cheek. Even though it was the brink of summer, he was wearing a long, dark, trench-coat. James realized that Moody was dressed similarly. James noted that the man was also equipped with an assortment of weapons. And yet it was the man's demeanor that caused James to stare. For he stood tall and proud, with an air of importance. He was definitely a man of whom James would not want to cross. He also noticed that the man was glaring at Fudge, who balked ever so slightly.

"Potter, Lupin, Pettigrew," Moody proudly said, "I would like you to meet Lieutenant General Venator. You already know Admiral Fudge."

James diverted his attention back to Moody and muttered, "We've met."

"Indeed," Fudge said, coolly, "Of course, it's all water under the bridge. I do apologize for what happened, Mister Potter."

James didn't answer.

"Potter, I asked for your forgiveness," Fudge said, shortly.

By now, the entire ward had gone quiet. Even those who had no business listening in couldn't help but to eavesdrop. You could have heard a quill drop. James glanced around, utterly aware that everyone was staring at him. Still, he did not deliver an answer.

"Potter," Fudge demanded, "Answer me."

James couldn't admit that he wasn't enjoying this. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and merely gave Fudge a cocky smile.

"Owl got your tongue, Potter?" Moody amusedly asked.

"Just following orders, sir," James casually replied, adding the last part for good measure.

Moody's jaw twitched as he understood. He shook his head and barked, "Potter, you have permission to openly speak."

"Much obliged," James politely replied, before turning to Fudge and roaring, "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Fudge looked livid as he hissed, "You shall mind your tone, Potter!"

Venator stepped forward, curtly growling, "You shall mind your place, Fudge."

This seemed to shut Fudge up; for a few moments, anyway.

Venator glanced at James, as though sizing him up, before asking, "So, this is Potter's son?"

"Ay," Moody nodded.

"Mm," Venator approvingly said, "Well, that's enough to go on."

Fudge stepped forward, sneering, "Well, I certainly hate to break up this cozy meeting, but the Minister is waiting."

"The Minister?" Lupin asked.

"Yes, you daft boy," Fudge cried, pulling out a schedule, "You lot have much to do. You must be identified and fingerprinted, for good measure. After that, you will be interrogated, to reveal your side of what happened. After that, the Minister personally would like to meet with you in order to praise your heroism."

He said the last word with utter disdain.

"Wait, we're not leaving," James said, shocked at the thought.

"Of course you are," Fudge said, distractedly, "The sooner the better, mind you."

James shook his head, clarifying, "Nobody has told us how Sirius is doing and we're not leaving until they do."

Moody and Venator didn't say anything, but both looked intrigued, if not amused.

Fudge looked incredulous as he cried, "It's the _Minister_!"

"Tell the Minister that she's welcome to come here," James arrogantly continued, "You see, we're _not_ leaving."

"You…you can't…"

"I just did," James smugly replied.

"Do you know who I am!?"

"Obviously," James replied, "That's why I'm not taking you seriously!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Fudge cried, his face a marvelous shade of magenta, "Now, come with me to the Ministry."

"No."

"Now, Potter!"

"NO!"

. The lights flickered overhead. Venator and Moody glanced up, both looking as though they were wondering if it was time to intervene. Yet they kept still as James continued, "I've had a long couple of hours, I'm pretty sure that I was in shock for a while, Sirius is hurt, and we're not leaving! What part of that don't you understand?"

"You're pretty sure that you were in shock?" Lupin muttered.

"I have it on good authority," James snickered.

Lupin's chuckle was muffled by loud pops. Two more men had appeared in the ward.

"Dad!" James excitedly cried.

"Mr. Potter! Kingsley!" Lupin and Peter gasped.

Mr. Potter looked relieved to see him. The other man was Kingsley Shacklebolt—who was only a decade older than James. He had started off as an intern in Mr. Potter's division but had soon worked his way up to being Mr. Potter's right-hand man. He also worked directly with the Minister, though James wasn't quite sure what he did.

Kingsley was cool—there was no other way to describe it. Right now, he glanced around the room and calmly asked, "Are we interrupting anything?"

"Not at all," Fudge and Venator said, the former fiercely and the latter casually.

"Mm," Kingsley said, "Well then, why is Peter crying?"

"Peter's not crying," James replied. He then spotted Peter and blurted out, "Peter, why are you crying?"

Peter shook his head, trying to deny the fact that tears were streaming down his face. The others stared at him, awkwardly waiting. He finally whispered, "I don't want to go to the Ministry. I just want to go home!"

"Alright mate," James said, awkwardly, "We'll go home, soon."

"But more people keep showing up," Peter bawled, "And…and I'm scared."

"Scared of the Death Eaters?" James asked, sympathetically.

Peter shook his head.

"Scared for Sirius?" Lupin offered.

"N…no. I'm scared of him."

He pointed towards Fudge, who angrily scoffed.

"Congratulations, Fudge," James said, falsely smiling, "You managed to make a twelve-year old boy cry."

"But I…"

"You should be ashamed," Lupin added.

"I didn't…"

"That certainly won't get you into the Minister's chair," James said with a snarky grin.

"_I'm_ not voting for him," Lupin loudly agreed, "I'd sooner vote for you, James."

"You don't vote for—"

"I humbly accept," James cried.

"Brilliant. James Potter for Minister!"

"People don't vote for the Minister!"

"No," James corrected, "People don't vote for _you_ to be the Minister!"

"Certainly not with your campaign," Lupin said with a wrinkled nose, "Or lack thereof."

"I don't have a campaign!"

"Brilliant!" James said, enthusiastically, "All the more easier to take the throne!"

"Enough!"

By now, the other four adults were standing straight, their arms behind their backs. James noticed that Kingsley and Mr. Potter were also wearing black trench-coats.

Fudge spluttered before saying, "This is preposterous. I am not about to be smarted by a twelve-year old boy! Now, you are going to the Ministry for Magic."

"Even if I wanted to," James pointed out, "I'm not sure that I should. You see, I haven't gotten any proper sleep in some time. Never mind the fact that we just suffered a traumatizing experience. I might snap and attack the Minister."

Fudge's eyes widened and he muttered, "I'll see if I can make some arrangements."

He hastily Apparated away.

"On a list of things that you shouldn't say to a Minister's Advisor," Mr. Potter gently spoke up, "Telling him that you may snap and attack the Minister may just fall beneath asking him if he wants to find out how Dungbombs work."

The ward was silent for a short minute. Finally, James hissed, "I hate that bloody man."

"Clearly," Venator said, his lip curling.

James took a deep breath before cheerfully turning towards Peter, "You all right?"

"Fine," Peter said, grinning mischievously.

Moody, Kingsley, and Mr. Potter chuckled as he and James high-fived. Venator remained straight-faced, but James was getting the impression that he rarely smiled.

The doors to the left opened and Mrs. Potter entered, "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing, Elizabeth," Mr. Potter said, assuredly, "How's Sirius?"

James, Peter, and Lupin also simultaneously asked the question.

"Calm down," Mrs. Potter said, "He's going to be alright though I'm afraid that his leg's going to take some time to heal."

"Can we see him?" James pressed.

Mrs. Potter hesitated, "Well…"

"Thanks Mum!" James cried, distractedly. The Marauders quickly pushed past her and entered the room.

Sirius was propped up in the first bed. His leg was heavily bandaged and he was attached to a weird monitor on a pole.

"How are you feeling?" James weakly asked.

"Sleepy," Sirius admitted before cheerfully adding, "No pain, though."

"Ah," Mrs. Potter sighed, "That's because I gave you several potions. I'm afraid that the pain will come. I'll try to hold it off."

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said, gratefully.

"There's no need to thank me, dear," Mrs. Potter said, her eyes quite puffy.

"How long did you say it would take for his leg to heal?" Lupin swallowed.

"I can't say," Mrs. Potter sighed, "It may be permanently affected."

James swore before flushing as his mother raised her eyebrows. He ruffled his hand through his hair, beyond stressed.

"Relax," Sirius advised, eyeing him closely, "Anyway, what were you three going on about out there?"

"Fudge," James spat.

"That piece of scum?" Sirius angrily scoffed.

"The one and only," Fudge said, coming through the doors.

"How'd you get past Venator?" Lupin demanded.

"Who the ruddy hell is Venator?" Sirius whispered.

"Some bad-ass that makes Fudge pee his pants," James whispered back.

"I had orders from the highest authority to come in," Fudge said, bringing himself back to full height, "The Minister, herself. You are to come to a dinner in your honor."

"Ah," James said, pleasantly, "That's why you're a pleasant shade of purple. Well, no thank you. I'm not that hungry."

"It's tomorrow night," Fudge said, looking victorious.

James sighed, but couldn't see any way around it. He stood tall and said, "Tell her that we would be honored to attend."

Fudge nodded and left.

"Must we?" Lupin sighed.

"Oi," James cried, "I'm not giving up the opportunity to sit next to the Minister! Think of what everyone will say when we come back!"

"We didn't really do anything that spectacular," Lupin modestly pointed out, "There's no need to attend a dinner."

"We're heroes," Sirius cried, "I have a war wound. James is right! The least the Minister could do is throw us a dinner."

Lupin crossed his arms and snapped, "Mrs. Potter, do you think that you can scan their heads for swelling?"

"I've already done so," Mrs. Potter joked, "No more than the usual. But it is a marvelous opportunity, dear. I would really go along."

"Fine," Lupin reluctantly admitted, "It _would_ be an honor to go."

James sighed, suddenly feeling winded. He sank onto the corner of Sirius' bed, before remembering something. He clapped his friend on the shoulder as he cheerfully said, "Happy Birthday, Peter!"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: As a holiday treat, I've decided to upload three chapters! Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter Four

Despite all scientific notions that would prove otherwise, James' head doubled its usual size within the next few weeks. Between the carnival, saving the Minister, and the leftover fame from before, he could hardly leave his house without being recognized. Mind you, he didn't hate the newfound fame. In fact, he loved every minute of it.

"I can't believe that I'm saying this," James cheerfully said, during one breakfast, "But I really cannot wait for school next week. Dozens of students are going to swooning over us!"

"James, please," Mrs. Potter sighed, "Show a little modesty, love."

"I could have said 'hundreds'," James pointed out with a snarky grin.

Mrs. Potter merely shook her head and said, "Do be careful today. We don't need you to get into any more trouble."

The Marauders were heading into Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies. James had argued with his parents for a quarter of an hour before they finally agreed that they could be unescorted. Nevertheless, Mrs. Potter still set a strict curfew.

"Mind the fireworks," Mr. Potter jokingly said as James grabbed a handful of powder from the jar on the mantel.

"Diagon Alley!" James cried, throwing the powder and leaping across the grate.

He spun around in a cascade of bright green flames. Just when he felt as though his breakfast was about to come back up, he stumbled out into the Leaky Cauldron.

"James!" Lupin and Peter cried, cheerfully waving him over. They finished their own sandwiches and the three headed into the back alley. James took out his wand and importantly prodded the bricks. It was a few times before he was able to get them right.

"Shut up, Remus," he snarled as Lupin tried not to laugh.

Finally, the brick wall leapt aside to reveal Diagon Alley.

They had just stepped forward when James' eye was drawn to a crowd. He cried out as he realized that they were surrounding Sirius. He seemed to be fighting another boy…and he was winning. He brandished his walking stick, much like a sword. The other three quickly pushed through the crowd. James avoided a backlash blow from the stick and grabbed Sirius' arm. He then spun his friend around and shouted, "What are you doing?"

Sirius blinked before muttering, "Long story."

"Long story my arse!" James snapped, "What are you playing at, attacking a bystander?"

"He's not a bystander," Sirius snorted, "He's my bloody brother."

James let go of him, shocked, before saying, "You have a brother?"

He turned and saw that Sirius was right. The boy couldn't have been much younger than James. He did somewhat resemble Sirius. He had the same raven black hair and silver eyes, though this boy's eyes were much colder.

"You have a brother?" James repeated.

"He's insignificant," Sirius replied, waving his hand, "Run along, Regulus. Leave the big boys to their fun."

"You're not going to get away with this," Regulus quietly said, "I'll tell Mother that you've been fighting."

"You were fighting too," Lupin pointed out.

"Sod off," Regulus snapped, walking away.

"Say that again, you little git," Sirius roared, shaking his walking stick.

"Sirius, calm down," James ordered, "You're raving."

"No," Sirius calmly replied, "I just hate him."

"You don't hate him," Peter immediately said.

The others stared at him and he quaked before adding, "You can't. He's your brother."

"Yeah," Sirius said, monotonically, "You're right."

"Let's check out the Quality Quidditch Supplies," James hastily said.

Sirius immediately cheered up.

"Going to look at the new brooms?" Lupin asked as they entered the shop.

"I could never replace my Cleansweep," James yelped, horrified by the thought, "I just want to get a Quaffle to practice with. I'm going to try out for Chaser."

Sirius smirked and said, "You should do some of Kingsley's moves."

James snorted, "Could you imagine the look on McGonagall's face? Nah, I think that I'll stick to my own moves. They're good enough to get on the team."

"There's that modesty," Lupin muttered.

"Oi," James cried, "If you can't live a modest life, you shouldn't be modest."

"Now that's a headliner!"

The four turned, surprised by the cheerful outburst. A woman was standing behind them.. She looked vaguely familiar but the Marauders didn't know why. The woman's smile was too large as she enthusiastically said, "Rita Skeeter. But of course, you already know me."

"You went to Hogwarts last year," Sirius said, finally placing her, "With Andromeda."

He didn't have to add the fact that she was also in Andromeda's house; James could hear it in his voice. Andromeda was one of Sirius' cousins, which meant that she was in Slytherin. Unlike the cousins who had tried to break into the Tomb of Slytherin to achieve the weapons to rule the world, however, Andromeda was actually decent to the Marauders. In fact, the Marauders were the reason that she was now engaged to Muggle Ted Tonks. Sirius had informed the Marauders of the happy announcement, the other day.

Rita maintained her smile as she said, "Yes and I am now one of the most successful reporters for the Daily Prophet."

"Good for you," James cheerfully said, "If you'll excuse us, you're blocking the door."

She acted as though she hadn't heard him. Instead, she produced a single green quill from her hideous crocodile bag. She produced a piece of parchment with flourish and said, "James Potter, nine years old…"

"Err…twelve," James interjected.

"…believes that one should not live modestly if they do not live a modest life."

The quill began to write without the aid of her hand. James exchanged peculiar glances with the others before blurting out, "What are you doing?"

"Giving you your fifteen minutes of fame," Rita replied, "Now, it's my understanding that you were the one who stopped the Minister from being poisoned. Is this true?"

"Yeah," James dully remarked. Ordinarily, he would've been excited to give an interview to anyone. There was something about Rita that put him off. Her eyes shone with hunger as she continued, "And you four were also at the scene of that nasty Death Eater attack on the Muggle carnival? Tragic. Simply tragic. Ah, a battle-wound!"

She was now eyeing Sirius' leg.

"Do you mind?" Sirius snapped, gently pushing her away with his walking stick.

"Not at all," Rita said, winking, "Everyone wants the spotlight. Sirius Black, the brave soldier who suffered from his heroism. Merlin only knows how this will affect him."

"Hang on," Sirius snorted, "You're not possibly thinking about posting this?"

"Who would read it?" Lupin laughed.

"I have plenty of readers," Rita coolly said, "They're always looking for the truth."

"And you're planning on giving it to them?" James asked, snatching the levitating parchment. He skimmed through it, "Tragic heroes…in over their heads…believe that they can save the world…have an air of undignified dignity…Oh, this is rich."

Rita pursed her lips—a blessing, as James was tired of looking at her gold teeth. For a moment, she merely shot James a furious look. She then smiled and said, "You cannot stop the truth from coming out."

"Now, that's not true," James said, "You see, we can always burn it."

He tapped the parchment with his wand, setting it ablaze. Rita gave an outraged cry, but James hardly cared.

"Evening, Miss Skeeter," he coyly said.

Laughing, the Marauders pushed past her and exited the shop.

oOo

James eagerly paced his bedroom. The sky was barely pink but he hardly noticed. His trunk was already packed. He was already in his robes. His wand was in his hand. He was ready.

At long last, he excitedly went down to the kitchen.

"Now, I want you to behave yourself," Mrs. Potter said for the umpteenth time, as James devoured his plate of eggs and sausages.

"Don't I always?" James joked.

Mr. Potter entered, looking exhausted as he said, "Up to Apparating? The Floo is still being monitored."

"Aren't they going a bit overboard?" James wearily asked.

"Time to go," Mrs. Potter quickly said, "Trunk? Broom? Bandit? Good."

Bandit ruffled his feathers as James stuffed him in his cage, "Sorry, mate. You don't want to get left behind."

He gave James an affectionate nip and James slipped him the rest of the sausage.

"Right," Mr. Potter said, taking Mrs. Potter's hand and holding out his other arm. James hesitated before taking it. He immediately felt as though the world was pressing in on him. It was a familiar sensation, but he still hated it. He landed on the ground, his knees nearly buckling. He took a moment to get his bearings, weakly whispering, "Brooms. Defiantly brooms."

They were already on Platform 9 ¾. James awkwardly coughed and straightened up. He was aware that several people were staring and whispering. He threw them a grin, nervously ruffling a hand through his hair.

"Good luck," Mrs. Potter said, fretfully, "Be safe."

"Have fun," Mr. Potter whispered, "I'll keep in touch with any news."

"Tell the others to have a good time," Mrs. Potter said, "Write often. And _be safe_!"

They fussed over him for a moment longer before Apparating away. James heaved his trunk and Bandit, looking for the others. He finally spotted Sirius, but felt his heart plummet. For Sirius was standing with his mother. She was wearing an elegant dress and a sneer, as if she had better things to do than to stand on a dirty platform.

James thought about boarding the train and catching up with Sirius later. Something boiled in his stomach, however, as he remembered an incident that had occurred last year.

"Oi, you!"

He didn't mean to scream. By the time he gave it a second thought, he was angrily stomping towards them. She turned, looking both surprised and outraged. Sirius' eyes widened ever so slightly. James now saw that Regulus was also standing nearby. He threw James a nasty scowl but was also wide-eyed.

"You're Walaburga, aren't you?" James said, glaring up at her.

"Who are you?" Walaburga spat, infuriated by his tone.

"I'm James Potter," James snapped, "I'm a Marauder. I'm the person who is going to make your life a living hell, should you insist on laying a finger on Sirius."

"James, lay off!" Sirius angrily hissed.

Walaburga seemed to tower over James as she spat, "You filthy blood-traitor. You dare think that you can threaten me?"

"I'm just saying," James lividly hissed, "If you even think about getting to him, I will personally send my father's entire division to your doorstep. Reckon they'd find anything?"

"Shut up!" Sirius roared, pushing him away. James stumbled backwards, unable to hide his shocked expression. Sirius' glare held daggers as he continued, "Get out of here! Just go!"

James tried to look for a tell—any sign to show that Sirius was bluffing. There was none.

"Fine," James finally muttered. He grabbed his trunk and the owl cage and boarded the train, his mind buzzing. He waited in the train's corridor, until Sirius and Regulus solemnly came through. The latter pushed past him but Sirius stopped.

"You _were_ bluffing, right?" James weakly asked.

Sirius didn't answer and instead chose to stare at the wall. Finally, he growled, "What the bloody hell do you think you were doing?"

James gave a start, "I could ask you the same question!"

"You had no right to threaten my mother," Sirius retorted, turning back around.

"Mother," James scoffed, "She tried to kill you, last year!"

"And what do you think threatening her accomplished?" Sirius asked, "Do you think she's going to have a change of heart? Do you think she'll turn into your mother?"

"Leave my mother out of this," James quietly said, "She's done everything for you! She's invited you to stay, she's fed you, she actually cares about you, and she healed your leg!"

"And she did a damned good job at it!" Sirius cynically roared, leaving James speechless.

For a moment, the two merely glared at each other. The compartment door to the left opened and Lupin appeared, looking shocked, "What's going on out here?"

There was a moment's pause before James muttered, "Nothing."

He and Sirius pushed their way inside, seeing that Peter was already there.

"What were you fighting about?" Peter asked.

"Nothing," Sirius bitterly repeated.

They sat down, though on opposite sides of the compartment. Lupin frowned, sitting next to James. He nearly jumped as he sat on top of Bandit's cage, causing the owl to screech.

James sighed, "Listen, Sirius. I'm sorry. I just wanted to let your mother know that…"

"I know," Sirius cut in, "But it doesn't work like that. Mark my words; she's not going to take that threat lightly. Just don't close your eyes in the shower for a while…"

"Well," James said, jokingly, "Look at the bright side: if she ends up killing me, my father would have a good reason to arrest her."

"They'd slip through," Sirius muttered, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. Logic and legal threats won't work on them. It's best just to lay low and let it go."

James never enjoyed letting things go. For Sirius' sake, however, he dropped the matter.

Sirius nodded, trying to get comfortable. He hesitated, before looking guilty, "Don't ever tell your mother what I said about my leg. I really owe her."

By the time the train pulled out of the station, the tension was gone and the four started up a boisterous game of Exploding Snap. The rest of the ride was uneventful.

At long last, the train came to a screeching halt. The four tumbled out onto the platform, legs creaking and backs aching.

After several seconds, they heard the familiar roar, "FIRS' YEARS!"

Hagrid was strolling towards them, causing the entire platform to shake. He was as tall and wide as three men, and nearly broke James' spine as he pulled him into a hug.

"Good to see yeh," Hagrid boomed, once James stood back up, "Come by the hut this Friday 'n catch up."

"Will do," James promised, "Err, where do we go?"

Hagrid directed them towards a group of carriages. James thanked him and the four set off. For a moment, James blinked. He was sure that he had seen something attached to the carriage. A weird outline of a creature…Yet when he looked again, there was nothing.

"Move along, Potter. We don't have all day!"

"Sorry Venator," James said, distractedly, "I was just…"

He stopped and looked round. Sure enough, the Auror was standing next to them.

"Venator?" James cried, "What're you doing here?"

"Teaching," Venator calmly replied, "Or at least will be, if I ever get up to the school."

James nodded, still confused. He took one last glance at the front of the carriage before climbing inside. The others joined, including Venator.

"What were you looking at?" Sirius asked, twirling his walking stick.

"It's just…for a second I thought that I saw something," James said, sheepishly, "An animal pulling the carriage."

Venator looked up, intrigued, and asked, "What kind of animal?"

"I dunno," James admitted, "It wasn't even…there. It was like an outline. Even that was only there for a minute, before it disappeared."

He was quiet for a moment before asking, "What does pull the carriage, anyway?"

"You don't want to find out," Venator quietly assured him.

James accepted this answer and instead asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Teaching," Venator repeated, "I'm taking up the position for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore's orders. He wants me to keep an eye on things."

"What does he want you to keep an eye on?" Sirius eagerly asked.

"Things," Venator said, looking as though he enjoyed keeping things from them.

"What things?" James prodded.

"Things that require keeping an eye on," Venator mysteriously replied.

James rolled his eyes before sticking his head out the window. As the carriage turned around the bend, he was able to see the magnificent school perched on the cliff. It was still as breathtaking as the day he had first seen it. As soon as they stopped, Venator departed. The four wasted no time getting to the Great Hall. Everyone else filed in around them, conversing about their summers. Several people pointed to the Marauders and whispered. James enjoyed it, until he noticed that a few students were glancing at Sirius' leg. The Sorting was uneventful. Regulus got sorted into Slytherin. Sirius looked disappointed but quickly not surprised.

"At least we don't have to worry about any blackened envelopes," Professor McGonagall muttered. The Deputy Headmistress was standing close enough for James to hear. Sirius, however, made no motion that he had heard at all.

"Psst! Oi, Black! To whom should I thank for your injury?"

James and Sirius both turned at the snide remark and realized that it came from none other than Severus Snape—a greasy-haired, hooked-nose, Slytherin who was practically their nemesis. The Marauders and Snape had spent a year trying to adverse one another.

James and Sirius both rose from their seats and Snape did the same. Unfortunately, the latter Marauder ended up clutching his leg, causing Snape to chortle.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall curtly asked.

"Nothing," James muttered.

"Then get back to your seats before I take away points!"

"Yes, ma'am," James said through tight lips.

Sirius reluctantly sighed but the two sat down just as the Headmaster—Albus Dumbledore—stood up and warmly greeted them to another year at Hogwarts.

James zoned out, thinking of the wonderful food that he was about to eat. His ears perked up, however, when he heard Dumbledore say, "And finally, I would like to introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher: Professor Venator."

As the other students clapped, the Marauders stood and gave the Auror a proper salute, earning an appreciative nod in return.

Upon sitting back down, James saw that Professor McGonagall was staring at Venator, as though recalling a familiar face. He supposed that she had been around her share of Aurors.

Dumbledore waited for the applause to diminish before saying, "I asked Professor Venator to come teach as I felt that his expertise was necessary."

The Marauders exchanged glances before carefully listening. Dumbledore looked grave as he continued, "These past few months have seen many more Death Eater attacks. While I urge everyone that they will be safe behind these castle walls…I also urge caution."

Immediately, the hall buzzed with rumors and whispers. At that moment, Venator stepped forward and whispered something. Dumbledore looked intrigued and nodded. He turned back to the students, saying, "If you will excuse me for a moment. I'm afraid that I have to step out. Professor McGonagall will finish the speech."

Professor McGonagall spluttered as Dumbledore and Venator quickly left through a back door. She adjusted her hat before marching up to his seat, just as the walls began to shake with the amount of angry shouts.

"Please remain calm," Professor McGonagall cried, "Everything's fine. Professor Dumbledore is not saying that you are in danger…"

A sixth-year Ravenclaw leapt up, "Should we be afraid?"

"Of course not," a fourth-year cried, "This is all hype!"

"It's not hype," someone roared, "They're out there! They're coming for us!"

Screams and shouts followed as anger melted into paranoia.

James found himself leaping up and loudly roaring, "EVERYONE, SHUT IT!"

To his surprise, it actually worked. Professor McGongall threw him a rare and relieved smile before continuing, "Thank you. Now…"

"What Dumbledore is saying," James interjected, feeling that it was best to take over, "Is that it doesn't do anyone any good to be naïve."

"_Thank_ you, Mister Potter," Professor McGonagall edgily said, "Now, will you take your seat and allow me to make the speech?"

"Nah, that's okay; I've got it," James assured her, walking up the aisle and joining her at Dumbledore's seat. The Marauders exchanged glances before leaping up and hurriedly joining them. Sirius looked nonchalant, as if they interrupted the Deputy Headmistress' speeches every day. Lupin and Peter looked more embarrassed, as if standing in front of the Great Hall and every student of the school was _awkward_ or something.

Nevertheless, they stood next to James as he said, "Listen…there is a man out there. Not…directly out there, mind you; he's out there in the world. There's a man out there and his name is Lord Voldemort. Now, this particular man has rather jaded views when it comes to this world. However, he believes his views to be correct. He also believes that others should embrace his views and is prepared to do whatever it takes…I mean that and it's important. Voldemort is willing to do whatever it takes."

The fourth-year was not quite done, "I'm telling you that it's all hype! The media blew it out of proportion. Nothing really happened at that carnival!"

"No?" Sirius had stepped forward, looking amused, "That's funny. It was all a blur, mind you, but I'm fairly certain that I remember being pinned to the ground by a roller coaster, while a bunch of Death Eaters zoomed around me."

That certainly shut the student up. It also seemed to get everyone's attention, for both the students and the staff were staring at them. Sirius triumphantly grinned. His face then fell as he glanced over at Regulus, who looked shocked.

Nonetheless, he continued, "Yeah, that's right. We saw the Death Eaters. And you know what? That was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. People never think that something like that could happen to you…until it does."

"That's what Dumbledore was trying to say," James intervened, "Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. There is no denying that. However, that doesn't mean that we should be blinded from the real world."

Lupin shyly spoke up, "You may go through life unscathed but nobody is invincible. We need to be alert and cautious."

They quieted, letting that sink in.

"Right," James said, awkwardly, "So, without further ado…err…Let the feast begin!"

To his astonishment the tables were immediately piled high with food. Everyone soon became distracted by the amazing meal.

"Well done, Potter," Professor McGonagall whispered.

James puffed out his chest as he returned to his seat. The others high-fived him and commenced to eat. James took a little bit of everything…everything except the shrimp.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Unfortunately, this is more of a 'filler' chapter.

Chapter Five

"Peter, you bloody little bugger! Get back here!"

"Watch it, mate!"

"It's not my fault, you prat."

"Remus, help me!"

James stifled a chuckle, burrowing his head beneath his pillow.

"I'm not getting involved. Do get a move on, James. I don't want to be late."

James attempted to ignore Lupin's plea. He, of all people, deserved a lie-in. He only opened his eyes when he heard a crash and a whimper.

Peter was sprawled on the floor, his eye blackened. Sirius was standing over him, caught between laughing and trying to proclaim his innocence in the injury.

"All right, mate?" James snorted, "Did you open my trunk?"

"Sorry," Peter muttered, "I was trying to find a Dungbomb to throw at Sirius. Who secures their trunk with a spring-loaded fist?"

"I do," James said with a grin. He put his glasses on and appreciatively glanced around the dormitory. Unlike the other dormitories at Hogwarts, the Marauders' dormitory was… different. James reckoned that nobody else had their dormitory lined with Auror equipment. The four had filled it last year and were pleased to see that the equipment had stayed over the summer. Most of it was decorative and deactivated but they occasionally used some of it.

James crossed the room and safely opened his trunk. He tossed Peter a potion for his eye before noticing something. Four pairs of slick black gloves were sitting on top of his clothes.

James tried one on—they clung to his hand like a second skin. There was a small pouch on the back of them. James glanced into it.

"Ouch!"

A metal cable had whizzed out, piercing his glasses and slamming into his eye.

"Are you alright?" Lupin cried as the other two cracked up.

"Fine," James grumbled, reddening.

"What was that thing?" Sirius asked, still clutching his sides.

"I haven't the faintest," James admitted, though he put the other glove on.

"Were they there last night?" Lupin anxiously asked.

"I don't know," James admitted, handing the others their pairs.

Sirius eagerly accepted but Lupin and Peter refused.

"Sorry," Lupin said, "I'm not putting those things on until I know what they are."

"Or how to control it," Peter added, "I'm already accident-prone enough, thank you."

"Fair enough," James said, pocketing their pairs. He took a swig of Peter's potion to heal his eye and changed into his robes.

The four hurried out of the Common Room. Upon reaching the Grand Staircase, Sirius grimaced and snapped, "Whoever thought of putting Gryffindor Tower on the Seventh Floor?"

James sympathetically frowned. Sirius had been in a considerable amount of pain after climbing to the Common Room last night.

"Come on," James abruptly said. The four backtracked into the corridor, stopping at an ugly portrait of a diseased wizard. Last year, the Marauders had found an assortment of secret passageways. This was one of their favorites. James took a deep breath and coughed onto the portrait. It swung aside, revealing a long and dusty slide.

"After you," James cheerfully cried.

The other three grinned and leapt onto the slide. James jumped after them. They slipped and slid down the deep tunnel. Those in the Great Hall were shocked when a hole opened up in the wall and the Marauders shot out, landing on the Slytherin table.

"Sorry," James smirked, wiping marmalade off of his glasses, "We overshot the landing."

Ignoring their piercing glares, the four quickly strutted over to their own table. Professor McGonagall frowned as she swept over with their schedules.

"Good morning, Professor," Lupin greeted, picking cobwebs and eggs out of his hair.

"Should I ask what compelled you to take that passageway?" Professor McGonagall crisply asked, "Or should I just take away points from Gryffindor?"

"The lack of diversity caused us to take the passageway," James loudly cried, "For you see, Sirius is injured. He couldn't possibly climb down seven flights of stairs."

Sirius nodded, eating a bowl of porridge that he had nicked from the Slytherins' table.

Professor McGonagall sighed but said, "I will see if I can make some adjustments, Mister Black. Seeing as how you have to walk back up to the third floor in a few moments…"

She handed them their schedules and walked away.

"We've got Defence Against the Dark Arts first!" James excitedly whooped.

"Bad news," Lupin grimaced, "It's with the Slytherins."

"Who better to defend ourselves from?" Sirius asked, mischievously.

The four excitedly talked about what their lesson may have in store. Finally, Professor McGonagall returned and said, "I've talked to the Headmaster. Mister Black, should your leg prevent you from properly climbing the stairs, you may simply knock on the railing knob three times. If you need any other adjustments, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks, Professor," Sirius bewilderedly said. She nodded and quickly swept off.

The four hastily finished their breakfasts. They quickly exited the Great Hall and found that Lily Evans was standing on top of the Marble Staircase along with the other Gryffindor girls—Alice Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon, and Mary MacDonald. James barely paid any attention to the last three.

"Good morning, Evans," James called, as they ascended the stairs.

Lily turned to Sirius who was clutching his leg, "Are you alright?"

"Spectacular," Sirius said with a reassuring grin. Marlene smiled back but the other three frowned. Lily skeptically asked, "Did you four really face Death Eaters over the summer?"

"Indeed," James proudly said, "We had them wetting their pants."

Lupin snorted and muttered, "More like we were wetting _our_ pants and the other Aurors showed up in the nick of time to save us."

"Well…" James said, frowning as Lily smirked, "The details are a bit blurry."

Lupin rolled his eyes before kindly asking, "Lily, how is your arm?"

Lily had been with the Marauders and Snape when they first embarked on their journey to the Tomb of Slytherin. Unfortunately, an explosion had sent her into the wall, subsequently breaking her arm. Snape had taken her back, leaving the Marauders to face the tomb.

"Fine," Lily happily exclaimed, "Healed. My parents were amazed when I told them what had happened."

"Right," James said, "They're Muggles, aren't they?"

"What's wrong with that?" Alice asked, protective of her friend.

"Nothing at all," James assured her, "Other than the fact that it would be a bit hard to explain that you had to help break into an evil wizard's tomb."

"I left a few details out," Lily admitted, "Though even I was surprised when a few reporters from the Daily Prophet showed up on my doorstep."

"Of course," Sirius grinned, "You're famous, now."

"I barely did anything!"

"You were still a great help," Lupin assured her.

She put her hands on her hips and scoffed, "So, does that mean that you four will admit that Severus was also a great help?"

"Of course not," James cheerfully said, "Speaking of which…"

He leaned over the railing and dropped a Dungbomb onto Snape's head below. He turned back around and happily said, "Now then…"

But the girls were already stomping away.

"Was it something I said?" James asked, scratching his head.

"Come on," Lupin said, shaking his own head, "We're going to be late."

"What do you reckon happens when you tap the knob three times?" Peter asked as they entered the Grand Staircase.

"I dunno," Sirius laughed, "Maybe Dumbledore will come and carry me up the stairs."

As it turned out, tapping the knob lifted the stairs, much like a Muggle escalator. As cool as the idea was, they escalated at the speed of a dying flubberworm. They pelted through the third-floor corridor, finally reaching the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Venator was standing next to the door to greet them.

"You're late," Venator growled.

"No we're not," James argued.

A bell sounded overhead.

"Now we're late," James said with a grimace.

"My fault," Sirius said, though he didn't seem too troubled by it, "The bloody stairs aren't much help."

"Why didn't you use your grappling gloves?" Venator asked.

"What?"

Venator rolled his eyes and showed that he was wearing gloves similar to James and Sirius. He quietly explained, "Grappling gloves. They are relatively old compared to the newer Auror equipment but they're still useful. Though Merlin knows who would trust you lot with them. There's a cable inside…"

"We figured that much out," Sirius said, nudging a frowning James.

Venator continued, "You swing the glove, the cable comes out and latches onto the targeted surface. The cable's nearly endless and can hold up to five hundred stones, which is immensely helpful. So, it attaches onto the surface, reels back in, and carries you up. You can fly, you can soar, and you can do whatever you please."

"Wicked," James breathed.

Sirius swung his arm. The cable sprang out and latched onto the ceiling. He bounced up and down, grinning.

"That's enough of that," Venator barked, "Take your seats."

"Yes, sir," James said.

"Of course, sir," Lupin said.

"Right away, sir," Peter said.

"How do I get down, sir?" Sirius asked.

Venator sighed, pulled Sirius down, and ushered the four inside.

"Right," Venator called as the class quieted down, "I am…"

"This is Lieutenant General Venator!" James excitedly said.

"He's an Auror!" Sirius proudly gushed, "A wicked one at that."

"He helped save everyone from the Death Eater attack this summer!" Lupin added.

"He makes Fudge pee his pants!" Peter blurted out, causing James to snort.

"Yep, that pretty much summarizes it," Venator growled.

A girl from Slytherin boldly spoke up, "You don't look like a professor."

"And what does a professor look like?" Venator asked.

She blinked before remarking, "Less weapons?"

Venator ignored her and said, "Right. Any questions?"

"Sir," Lupin raised his hand and said, "We don't have any textbooks."

"You don't need books," Venator replied, "Books—useless in battle. What are you going to do with a book if you happen to run across Voldemort? I suppose that you could chuck it at his head and run…No. We shall be learning practical ways of defence. Now; today we will be testing your skills. Let us see…yes, last person standing wins. Go."

Nobody moved.

"I'm serious," Venator said, "This class lasts for an hour. Now, please refrain from sending your classmates to the Hospital Wing. Simple body-binding hexes will do."

"This is completely asinine!" Alice Longbottom cried as he left, "He doesn't really expect us to fight each other, does he?"

She screamed and leapt to the side as Sirius cried, "Petrificus Tortalus."

"Oh honestly," Lily sighed.

The class soon dissolved into chaos. People ran around, trying to jinx without being jinxed. James tipped over Venator's desk, hiding behind it. Peter dove after him. Unlike James, however, he refused to leap up and jinx the other students. Sirius swung his hand, emitting the cable which latched onto the chandelier. He zoomed around the classroom, jinxing students from above. Meanwhile, Lupin was backed into a corner. Several Slytherins advanced, snickering. But without the chance of anyone coming from behind, Lupin had a clear shot to take them down.

Soon, the Marauders were the last four standing. They met in the center of the room and excitedly high-fived.

Venator reentered, unfazed by the fact that his room looked like a warzone.

"So?" James eagerly asked, "What's the prize?"

"It's to be determined," Venator said, "I told you that the last person standing would receive the prize."

"I…" James broke off before saying, "Hang on."

He raised his wand just as the others did the same. They stood in a square; each boy alternated aiming at the other three.

**James**

** Lupin Peter**

** Sirius Venator**

The seconds crept by and neither Marauder made their move. James swallowed but still couldn't bring himself to say it. Venator stood nearby, carefully examining them.

"Stop this," Lupin said with a dry chuckle, "Really, we're not going to jinx each other."

"Then lower your wand," Sirius slowly said.

Lupin frowned and said, "You first."

The tension grew. James opened his mouth but whatever he was going to say was lost to the sound of the bells. The Marauders immediately relaxed and pocketed their wands.

"Brilliant class," James cried, as they exited the room.

"Were we going to…?" Lupin asked.

"No," James firmly interjected.

Sirius nodded in agreement. They came out to the Grand Staircase and Sirius wielded his arm. The cable shot out of his glove and latched onto the arched ceiling. He lifted up, yelling out with enthusiasm as he shot past the staircases.

"Come on!" Sirius cried, swinging down next to them, "You have to try this!"

"Oh, why not?" James remarked with a shrug. He swung his arm, also sending the cable to the ceiling. He zoomed through the air and couldn't help but to grin. It was amazing. He pulled it down mid-swing and momentarily fell through the air. He latched it onto a staircase railing and dipped beneath the stairs. He hooked it to another staircase as it moved to a different balcony. Sirius was also performing stunts. Lupin and Peter remained on the balcony but they laughed as the two swung in and out of staircases.

James landed on a staircase, raced up the stairs and past several students, and leapt off the staircase once more. He fell for several seconds before latching onto a balcony and swinging down to the main floor. Sirius proudly joined him.

"Err…mates!" Lupin called, "We have History of Magic next! On the fourth floor!"

The two laughed and hastily raced up the stairs. As James endured the horrid dullness of Professor Binns' voice, James thought back to the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson and the possibilities that could have occurred, had the bells been a few seconds late.


	6. Chapter 6

Defence Against the Dark Arts easily became the Marauders' favorite class. They excelled above the other students. Venator hardly stayed in the classroom—instead choosing to come and go as he pleased. When he _did_ stay with the class, he brought them out onto the grounds so that they could practice shooting one another with spells. There was only one problem: a week into the semester, it began to rain and didn't seem to stop. The cold water lashed at the students as they tried to stop their teeth chattering long enough to dictate a spell.

"Very good, Potter," Venator said, one afternoon, as James managed to knock Peter back into a tree, "Though I'm pretty sure that wasn't a disarming spell."

"What?" James innocently cried, "His wand managed to fall out of his hand. Technically speaking, he's disarmed."

Peter's eyes fluttered open and he mumbled something about pumpkins. Sirius snorted but frowned as he tried to wrench his walking stick from the thick mud. The rain was coming down in sheets; the students could hardly see a thing. Mixed with the sound of the falling rain, a new sound emerged. It was a distant white noise but James swore that he had heard it before. He then paled as he realized that it was the sound of rushing water. The lake was overfilling and spilling onto the grounds. The water was dangerously creeping towards where they stood.

"Get to higher ground," Venator barked.

The students sloshed through the mud and anxiously climbed the cliff that overlooked the lake. Sirius fell behind and though he didn't say anything, it was obvious that he was having difficulty walking. James nudged Lupin and the two stopped. Sirius gratefully put his arms around their necks and they staggered up the slope and joined the others at the cliffs. The students stared in wonder as the water surged below them. James frowned and quietly observed the rushing rapids. He thought back to last year and shivered. Sirius put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked, glancing over, "You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"Not a ghost," James mumbled, "Just a memory."

He felt slightly dizzy but shook the feeling off when he realized that Venator was also staring at him. The Auror looked thoughtful before loudly saying, "That water isn't getting any lower. Let's head back to the castle and call it a day."

The students practically flew back to the castle. Upon entering the Entrance Hall, Lupin kindly raised his wand and helped dry everyone off. James gave him a grateful smile before anxiously running a hand through his hair.

"Potter," Venator called, "I want a word."

James frowned, wondering if he was in trouble, but complied. The other Marauders glanced back at him before shrugging and continuing up the stairs.

"Thanks for the support!" James called, "I'm really appreciative! Thanks!"

"What do you have next?" Venator asked.

"History of Magic."

"With Binns?" Venator waved his hand, "You can afford to be late. Come with me."

James gratefully followed him up to his office. He wasn't surprised to find that it was disorganized and jumbled.

"You looked a bit pale back there," Venator growled, "You have a problem with water?"

James hesitated before admitting, "We don't exactly see eye-to-eye."

Venator snorted and remarked, "Your father told me about the whole ordeal with that tomb. I must say that I'm impressed. Not many eleven-year-olds would have survived."

"Barely survived," James corrected, "If Dumbledore didn't come, we would still be trapped beneath the water; hence my dislike for it."

Venator nodded, seeing his point.

"We still nearly died," James mused, thinking aloud, "And I…I think that I had a choice to do so."

"What do you mean?" Venator sharply asked.

James hesitated. He hadn't told anyone about this, not even the Healers or his parents.

He took a deep breath and said, "After I was pulled beneath the water and…well…nearly drowned, I had this dream…only it wasn't a dream…it felt like a dream…"

"Get to the point, Potter."

"Sorry," James apologized, "Anyway, in this…whatever it was…I saw the four founders of Hogwarts. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. I remember that they talked to me and told me that I had a choice…I can't remember all of what was said but obviously I picked the right one."

He broke off and mumbled, "Sorry. I know that it sounds pretty foolish."

"On the contrary, Potter," Venator quietly said, "It might be the least foolish thing that you have ever said."

James wasn't sure if that was a compliment but he took it as one.

Venator suddenly gave a dark chuckle, "And just when things were getting back to normal, the four of you ended up being at that carnival."

James sighed but bracingly said, "Hey, at least we got to meet you."

"Yeah," Venator agreed, "That's the one thing about being an Auror. You usually don't meet the others under good circumstances. Moody says that you want to become an Auror?"

James nodded and said, "We've put a bit of work into it so far."

"Clearly," Venator replied and James briefly wondered if he was getting two compliments in one sitting, "However, you still have a long ways to go; both physically and mentally. Although I must admit that I did enjoy your confrontation with Fudge."

James frowned at the mere mention of the man's name and Venator snorted, "You should have seen his face the day after your dinner with the Minister. We nearly thought that he was going to put your pictures up on the dart-board."

"Wasn't he happy that we saved the Minister?" James grumpily asked.

Venator hesitated before saying, "He was happy that the Minister was safe. He just wasn't happy that _you_ were the ones who saved her."

"Well, good," James snarled, "We deserve the credit after what he did to my dad. I don't suppose that you heard about that?"

"Heard about it?" Venator said with a twisted smile, "Moody and I fought it. It was a blatant misuse of his power. And to think that bloody twat wants to become the next Minister."

James sighed with relief. It was about time that somebody else understood.

"Anyway," Venator was saying, "You and the so-called Marauders seem to be excelling in Defence Against the Dark Arts. It appears that the class may be too basic for you. How would you like to take private lessons to sharpen your skills?"

James felt his jaw drop and stammered, "What?"

Venator frowned and huffily snapped, "Well if you don't want to…"

"Are you joking?" James cried, "When can we start?"

Venator smirked and said, "Wipe the drool from your chin, Potter. I will need some time to prepare. But right now, you have different priorities."

"I do?" James asked, racking his brains.

"Your father tells me that you're excellent on a broom," Venator said, "Quidditch tryouts are coming up. I'm expecting you use those skills and help Gryffindor win the house cup."

"Yes, sir," James excitedly said.

Venator glanced at his pocket-watch and sighed, "Damn. Alright, I don't need a long lecture from Binns for keeping you over."

James nodded, thanked him again, and left before he began gushing. Once safely in the corridor, he pumped his fist, and hurried up to History of Magic.

"What did the two of you talk about?" Sirius immediately whispered, as he took his seat.

"Water, death, Fudge, the fact that he's going to be giving us private lessons," James excitedly murmured.

"What?"

Sirius, Peter, and Lupin all flushed as Professor Binns looked up at their outburst. They hastily pretended to scribble notes for a few minutes before Lupin excitedly mouthed, "We're really going to be taking private lessons?"

"When?" Sirius eagerly asked.

"Will it be dangerous?" Peter uncertainly muttered.

"Yes, I dunno, and yes," James said.

He completely abandoned his notes and sat back to think about what the lessons may have in store. Death Eaters beware.

() () () () ()

James took Venator's advice and focused his priorities on something a bit more important than schoolwork: Quidditch. The other Marauders were very supportive and often accompanied him to the Quidditch Pitch, even in the pouring rain. James was a natural on his broom. He weaved in and out of the stands with little effort. He did flips and dives, feeling lighter than air.

Occasionally, the other three would grab spare brooms and join him. When he was in the air, there were no Death Eaters or war or school or stress. There was only Quidditch.

Unfortunately, the weather caused the tryouts to be pushed back. When the rain finally lifted, Madam Hooch determined that the only way to squeeze in tryouts in time for the practices was to hold one large tryout with all four houses. The morning of the tryout found James strutting through the castle at the crack of dawn.

"Potter! What are you doing up so early?"

Professor McGonagall was marching down the corridor, her nostrils flaring. Quite right too, James realized, as he would normally be up to pull a prank.

"Professor, I'm honestly not up to anything," James assured her, showing her his broomstick, "I'm just going down to practice before tryouts. Aw, don't tell me that we're still in a lockdown?"

The Marauders' search for the Tomb of Slytherin had come at a cost. Professor McGonagall had grown agitated by their sneaking around after hours and had subsequently banned them to their Common Room, save for classes. Now the Transfiguration professor looked reproachful as she replied, "Of course not; so long as you keep to the rules."

"I can't promise anything," James cheerfully remarked, "Good morning."

Whistling a cheery tune, he proceeded to the Entrance Hall. Unfortunately, he caught sight of another student prowling about.

"Regulus Black," James said, smoothly, "Tut-tut. What are you doing out of bed?"

"That's none of your concern," Regulus snapped, heading towards the Dungeons.

"Heard from your Mother?" James called.

Regulus turned around and spat, "Listen, Potter. I know that this is hard to comprehend due to your track-record, but you better stop prying. You're only getting yourself in a sticky situation and you're going to bring Sirius down with you."

"The stickier the better," James haughtily replied.

"Potter," Regulus said with a small sigh, "Your head is so big, it's a wonder how that broom can lift you."

"Oh that's clever," James falsely complimented, "Very good. Why don't you run along back to your little dungeons and resume worshiping Voldemort?"

"Do you read the Daily Prophet, Potter?" Regulus asked, his lip curling, "Funny how you see these 'criminals' give their statements. And it seems that every time, they always say how they had good intentions."

"Good intentions are a matter of opinion," James replied, though he tilted his head and wondered where Regulus was going with this.

"If that's the case," Regulus hissed with a vile sneer, "How do you know what side is truly evil and what side is truly good?"

James couldn't help but to shiver at his tone. Regulus raised his eyebrows and slipped back into the Dungeons, whistling the tune where James had left off. James frowned but turned as he heard his own name.

The other three Marauders were descending the stairs. Sirius caught sight of his brother and immediately tensed, "What is it? What did he say?"

James merely stared after Regulus, trying to comprehend exactly what he had said.

"James?" Sirius said, rather urgently.

"Nothing," James quietly said. He saw Sirius' worried look and repeated, "Honestly, it's nothing. Come on."

Unfortunately, he wasn't much in the mood to practice. The stress of Sirius' brother and the nerves from the upcoming tryouts caused him to pace rather than fly. Peter flew back over to the castle to get them breakfast. He returned with what looked like half the rations in the Great Hall. James forced down some toast and eggs. He nervously glanced around as the other students began filing out onto the pitch.

"You're going to be fine," Lupin assured him.

"Good luck, Potter," Venator said, strolling over.

"Thank you, sir," James said; standing straighter, "What are you doing here?"

"It's a good day for Quidditch," Venator merely replied, before resuming his position at the edge of the pitch.

Madam Hooch arrived and began separating students based on their ages, positions, and houses.

"Why did I ever decide to hold one large practice?" Madam Hooch groaned, looking as though she already had a headache.

James tried to sneak to the front of the line but Madam Hooch sharply shook her head. He gave her a large grin, spun around nearly crashed into another student. Sirius caught him before he could fall backwards.

"James Potter," the boy said with a toothy smile.

"Hello," James grunted, "Err…Random Student That Enjoys Sneaking Up On Me."

"Surely you know me," the boy cried, dramatically, "My name is Gilderoy Lockhart."

James drew a blank and looked at the others for help.

"Lockhart," Sirius said, racking his brains, "Right. Didn't you…err…?"

"We did…" James tried but couldn't think of anything.

"Weren't you the one who…?" Sirius came up with nothing.

"We have no clue," James finished.

Those who say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover have clearly never met anyone as pretentious as Gilderoy Lockhart. Not one golden curl was out of place. He was still smiling, much like a king who graciously found time to address his followers. Instead of wearing the typical Hogwarts robes, his were a brilliant lilac.

"I was the one who defeated the screaming banshee this summer," Gilderoy said, puffing out his chest, "It was a particularly dangerous situation, if I do say so myself, but I managed to come through unscathed."

James glanced past him and saw that several other students were fawning and giggling.

"Brilliant," James sardonically said, "Well, good job."

"Would you like to know how I did it?" Gilderoy asked.

"No," James lightly replied.

Gilderoy frowned and said, "Oh. Are you…are you sure?"

"Yep."

Gilderoy's smile became fixed and he said, "Well, I simply thought that I may offer you some of my advice. I heard that you got into quite a conundrum this past summer."

"Brilliant," Sirius said, stepping forward, "Tell me, what _do_ you do when the Death Eaters cause a roller-coaster to collapse onto your leg?"

Gilderoy appeared frozen for a moment before spluttering, "Well…perhaps another time…ah…when we're not so busy."

"Sure thing," Sirius said, with a smirk, "Looks like you're up."

Madam Hooch had the seventh-year Chasers from each house tryout along with the Beaters. The Marauders cracked up as they watched Gilderoy slip and slide across the sky, desperately trying to stay on his broom. Eventually the broom ended up bucking him off. He managed to curl his ankle around it, but still ended up dangling.

"Oh for Merlin's sake," James scoffed, as the other students—save for Sirius—gasped. A second later found Gilderoy falling. James rolled his eyes and waved his wand, softening the ground to save him from severe injury. Gilderoy still ended up knocking out several teeth and made such a huge fuss that Madam Hooch sighed and clipped, "Professor Venator, would you mind taking him to the Hospital Wing?"

Venator reproachfully glanced at the sniveling boy before saying, "Err…you take him to the Hospital Wing. I'll watch over the tryouts."

Madam Hooch seemed to weigh her battles before sighing and collecting Gilderoy.

"Nice save, Potter," Venator added, "Next."

The sixth-years went up, followed by the fifth-years, etc. James anxiously watched the other Gryffindor Chasers. They were good. They were very good.

At long last it was time for the second-years to go up.

James took a few deep breaths. He glanced over at Lupin and Peter in the stands. They waved and gave him the thumbs-up. Sirius thumped him on his back and Venator gave him a sharp nod. James felt considerably better and mounted his broom. He zoomed into the air and was surprised when Sirius joined him.

"You're trying out to be a Beater?" James asked, delighted as he saw the club in his friend's hand.

Sirius shrugged and murmured, "It suits me."

"Why didn't you mention anything?" James asked.

"I just decided try out," Sirius snickered.

Severus Snape glided over, also trying out to be a Chaser. James frowned and wondered if he was simply doing so out of spite. Snape leered at Sirius and haughtily replied, "Figures that you would be the one handling the big balls, Black."

Sirius smirked and slickly replied, "Nice broomstick. Shame that it isn't as big as mine."

James nearly fell off the broom by roaring with laughter. He only frowned when he saw one of the Slytherin beaters shakily glide past. James reached out and grabbed his handle, chastising, "What's your name?"

"D…Davey," the boy stammered, "Davey Gudgeon."

"How old are you?" James suspiciously asked.

"What does that matter?"

"First years aren't allowed to try out," Sirius angrily said.

"Are you afraid of a little competition, Black?" Snape sneered.

Sirius muttered something about where Snape could stick his broomstick.

Down below, Venator cleared his throat and called, "Is there a problem?"

"Not at all," James called.

He tried to forget about the Slytherins. After all, he wasn't competing against them. He was competing against the Gryffindors that had already tried out. The thought didn't settle his nerves but he managed to grab the Quaffle away from Snape and zoomed towards the hoops which were guarded by flying barriers. The Keepers would be trying out later to avoid too much congestion on the pitch. James managed to score a goal. Ten points. He knew that the person with the most points would most likely get the position. He scored four more goals in ten minutes, avoiding Bludgers with the help of Sirius. Sirius zoomed around with his walking stick in one hand and the club in the other.

Unfortunately, Snape managed to get the Quaffle away from James and scored two goals.

James grabbed it back and scored three more.

"One more and you beat the required amount of goals," Sirius excitedly roared.

"Thirty seconds," Venator called, checking his pocket watch, "Make it count!"

James grinned and determinedly headed towards the hoops. He stopped as he heard a high-pitched scream. Looking around, he saw that Davey was desperately hanging from his broom, having slipped off.

"Time's up!" Venator roared.

"No!" Sirius wailed, looking devastated.

James swore under his breath and angrily looked back at Davey, surprised to find that the boy was smirking. Snape smirked as well. James felt his heart plummet to the ground.

"Snape, you're filthy swindler!" James roared, "You set this up!"

"Prove it," Snape hissed with a vile smile.

"A…alright," Davey said, his smirk diminishing, "I…can't hold on much longer. Help me back up, Snape!"

Snape completely ignored him and instead headed back towards the ground.

"Snape!" Davey screamed, "Help me!"

"He's not coming back for you," James quietly said, "The next time you want to pull a prank, make sure that you have reliable backup."

"Help," Davey gasped, now dangling by one hand.

"Why should we help you?" Sirius coldly asked, "Give us one reason why we shouldn't just let you drop."

"HELP!"

James growled out in frustration, grabbed the screaming boy, and pulled him onto his own broom. Sirius rolled his eyes but nodded and the two flew back towards the ground.

"Two saves in one day," Venator quietly said, "Now you're just showing off."

James was too furious to laugh.

"Hey, Potter."

Andrew Whipple, the captain of the Gryffindor team, came over and grinned, "Nice save back there. That alone is worth a position. Congratulations."

"Really?" James asked, excitedly.

"And Black, anyone who can hit Bludgers like that is welcome on my team," Whipple added with a nasty grin.

Sirius returned the smirk. Whipple enthusiastically shook both of their hands. James enthusiastically glanced back at Venator and was shocked to find that he was actually smiling.

"We'll be practicing every Tuesday and Thursday," Whipple continued before heading off to observe the Keepers.

James' smile faded as he realized that the Slytherin captain was eagerly talking to Snape.

James clenched his fists but the problem was solved as Venator coldly said, "You might want to consider how he's going to be able to play when he's banned from the pitch."

"What?" Snape angrily cried, "You can't do that!"

Venator looked slightly amused and replied, "Sure I can. I'm the overseer of these tryouts. You put a student in direct danger and subsequently tampered with another person's tryouts. Not to mention the fact that the student you endangered was a first year. Did you honestly think that you were going to get away with that? Go."

He pointed towards the gates. Snape angrily stomped away, calling Venator several choice names. James stuck out his foot and the greasy Slytherin went crashing to the ground.

Snape leapt up and shoved James but Sirius' fist collided with Snape's jaw. A fight immediately commenced between all of the students on the pitch. James swung and kicked but still managed to get a blackened eye, courteous of Snape. Venator managed to break everyone up just as Madam Hooch returned. She docked twenty points from each house and sent Whipple and the Hufflepuff captain to the Hospital Wing. She looked at James and quietly said, "You ought to go as well, Mister Potter. That eye is beginning to swell shut."

"I've got him," Venator growled. He motioned for James and Sirius to follow. The three calmly went back to the castle and up to his office. Venator rummaged through a cabinet before pulling out several tonics and handing them to James.

James swallowed them and immediately felt his injuries subside. He went to hand them to Sirius before realizing that his friend barely had a scratch on him.

"Why didn't you get hurt?" James asked, grumpily.

"I know how to fight," Sirius calmly replied.

"_I_ know how to fight!"

"No, you don't," Venator simply said, "You're good with a wand and you know your way around a Dungbomb but you don't know how to actually fight."

"Well then…teach me," James replied, "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"I'm here to teach you how to _defend_," Venator corrected, "Big difference."

"But if I come across a fight and don't have my wand available and need to defend myself," James pressed, "Shouldn't I know what I'm doing?"

Venator merely gave him a skeptical look and James smirked.

Venator snorted and said, "I suppose that I've found the topic for my first lesson."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I'm sorry about the unexpected hiatus. Between finals and the holiday, I've been running around like a hippogriff with its head cut off!

Chapter Seven

James couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep in some time.

Tonight, he blamed the headline in the Daily Prophet:

**THREE MUGGLES MURDERED VIA UNFORGIVIABLE CURSE.**

**MINISTRY REFUSES TO GIVE STATEMENT**

He tossed and turned. Of course the Ministry wasn't going to release the real reason for the Muggles' deaths but James would bet his broomstick that Death Eaters were involved. He wished that the Ministry would start revealing the truth behind the war. People like his father, Moody, Venator, and Kingsley were out risking their lives. The least the Ministry could do was tell the public why. James growled in frustration and leapt up. He threw on his dressing gown and trudged through the castle, carefully avoiding prefects. He finally managed to slip outside and walk down to the lake.

"Are you alright?"

The calm question nearly caused James to fall into the water. He steadied himself before whipping around and coming face-to-face with a worried Lupin.

"What are you doing out here?" James harshly asked.

"I could ask the same of you," Lupin replied, crossing his arms.

"I just needed some air," James muttered.

"Right," Lupin skeptically said.

James frowned at his friend's incredulity but chose to ignore it. He drew his dressing gown closer to him and turned back to the lake, painfully aware that Lupin wasn't leaving.

Instead, Lupin calmly asked, "How long?"

"What?" James remarked, fixing his gaze on the glossy surface of the water.

"How long have you been having nightmares?" Lupin gently asked, "Madam Pomfrey might be able to help. There are herbs and potions that could…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," James mumbled, his ears flaming.

He was met with silence and briefly thought that Lupin had left. He was mistaken.

"Typical," Lupin said, his calmness waning, "If you want to clam up, so be it. But don't play me for a fool, mate."

"What's that supposed to mean?" James crossly asked.

"It means that Sirius might be your best mate," Lupin snapped, "But he's not your only one and he's certainly not the only one who knows you."

James turned at this and angrily scoffed, "I never said…"

"You never had to," Lupin quietly said.

James was rendered speechless. He was being accused of favoritism! A rather bold accusation but James supposed that it was justified. He hadn't meant to favor one friend over the other but he had talked to Sirius more about…personal issues. Then again, Sirius wasn't the one standing next to him at two o'clock in the morning.

"I'm sorry," James finally apologized.

"Apology accepted," Lupin assuredly said, "Anyway, when is the last time that you've properly slept?"

James thought about it for a moment before suddenly becoming distracted. He clamped a hand over Lupin's mouth and glanced up. A Prefect was patrolling the upper cliffs. The two slunk back into the shadows.

"I don't suppose you have a Dungbomb?" Lupin murmured.

"Sorry," James whispered, "I forgot to replenish my bathrobe stash."

Lupin raised an eyebrow, not knowing if he was serious or not.

The Prefect was now pacing. It was a wonder that he hadn't seen them.

"I have my wand," James whispered, "I could always jinx him."

"He's standing on the edge of a cliff," Lupin hissed, "He might fall!"

"Fine," James snapped, "Do you have a plan?"

"Well it's not a plan per say," Lupin calmly said.

Without warning, he began to run. James chuckled and followed him. The two could hear the Prefect angrily roar out. They ignored him and raced across the grounds, dodging several spells. They ducked behind a tree to catch their breaths and simultaneously peered around it, only to come face-to-face with the furious prefect.

"Oh," Lupin awkwardly said, "Hello."

"Didn't see you there," James pleasantly added.

He quickly rummaged through his pockets before brightly saying, "Well, what do you know! I _do_ have one Dungbomb left!"

He smashed it on top of the Prefect's head, causing him to immediately collapse.

"This way," Lupin gasped, tugging on his sleeve, "We can sneak through the greenhouses and head up the secret passageway on the second floor."

"No, that will take too long," James pressed, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the main doors, "Besides, nobody will ever expect us to come through the front! Trust me!"

Lupin hesitated before nodding. The two quickly raced towards the castle. James kicked open the doors and they found themselves staring at half a dozen Prefects.

"Huh," James muttered, "Alright, we could try it your way."

"You've got to be kidding me," Lupin mumbled as the Prefects raised their wands and commanded them to stop.

James dug through his pockets but could only produce a few measly Stink Pellets. He tossed them towards the Prefects but they merely created unimpressive puffs of yellow smoke.

James flashed Lupin a grin and Lupin merely rolled his eyes. The two threw up their hands in defeat. Even if they did fight their way out of it, the Prefects had still seen their faces. It wasn't worth it. Besides, James was too tired to put up a proper fight. The Prefects took the two boys to Professor McGonagall's office. They gave James and Lupin a dangerous look and told them not to leave before returning to their post. Their adrenaline crashed, the two calmly sat down. James gave a stifling yawn which wasn't unnoticed by Lupin.

"To answer your previous question," James sighed, "The last night I remember properly sleeping was the first night of term."

"Oh," Lupin said.

"Last year," James added.

"Oh," Lupin repeated but in a much different tone, "Well, why didn't you just say something? We could have helped! Blimey, it's a wonder that you can still function."

"I'm sleeping," James assured him, "Most nights I'm able to get a few hours of sleep."

"That's still not right," Lupin said with a frown, "Madam Pomfrey should be able to help you. If anything, she can give you a powerful sleeping potion."

"I don't want a potion," James replied.

"But you need to sleep," Lupin pressed.

"Evil never rests," James said with a shrug, "Why should I?"

"It doesn't work like that," Lupin chuckled.

Professor McGonagall entered, looking exhausted and furious as she snapped, "Potter, of course it would be you. However, I am surprised to see you, Mister Lupin."

"It's not his fault," James quickly said, "He was just coming to get me."

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow and remarked, "I see. And what were you doing out of bed?"

"I couldn't sleep," James said with a shrug.

"Be that as it may," Professor McGonagall replied, "That's no reason to be wandering around at this hour. I will be taking twenty points each and you shall both receive detention."

"Professor," James urged, "Remus didn't do anything. Let him go."

"Fine," Professor McGonagall sighed, "Twenty points from Gryffindor and you will serve your detention tomorrow night."

"But tomorrow's Saturday night," James practically whined.

"I'm well aware of the days of the week," Professor McGonagall snapped, "See that you're here. As for now, you two will report back to the dormitory."

They begrudgingly nodded and set off.

"You see," James said, as they entered the Common Room, "I told you coming through the front would get us back!"

"Yes," Lupin said with another eye roll, "I'm so glad that we listened to you. Still, it was nice of you to take the fall."

"It was the least I could do," James exclaimed, climbing the stairs to the dormitory.

Sirius drew back the curtain of his four-poster and snickered, "Out for a lovely stroll in the moonlight?"

"Shut up, Sirius," James advised.

"No need to be huffy," Sirius snapped, returning to his slumber.

James frowned and leapt into his own bed. He still didn't get to sleep and instead listened to Peter's loud snore and Sirius' quiet one. It was only upon realizing that there was a lack of a third snore did James realize that he was not the only one lying awake.

oOo

"How many Prefects?" Sirius asked with a snort.

"At least fifty," James urged, "Don't you believe me?"

"Not on your life," Sirius said with a teasing grin. He was accompanying James down to his detention and amusingly listening to his recount of the previous nights' events.

James knocked on Professor McGonagall's door and entered her office.

"Good evening, Potter," Professor McGonagall said, "Black, I'm sorry to make you walk down all of those stairs just to have you turn back but the detention will not be held in here. I have other business to tend to."

"Great," James excitedly said, "So I can get off?"

She frowned and remarked, "No. You shall still be writing lines. Professors Binns will be your supervisor."

"Binns?" James groaned before muttering, "Well I _have_ been trying to sleep."

"Behave," Professor McGonagall warned, "And due to your little Dungbomb incident last Thursday, you will be writing your lines in a spare classroom on the Seventh Floor."

James and Sirius tried to throw her an innocent grin.

The other day, he and Sirius had been having a mock fight in the middle class. James had raised his wand and muttered, "Accio, Dungbombs." Unfortunately, as Venator had later explained, James hadn't chosen a specific amount of Dungbombs. The result had been a messy situation which had caused the classroom to be uninhabitable.

"Alright," James sighed, not wanting her to linger on the event, "I'm going."

They stepped out of the room and saw that Venator was waiting outside.

"I don't suppose there's anyway that you can get me out of this?" James asked.

"I could," Venator replied, "But I'm busy."

"Doing what?" James pressed.

"That's none of your concern. Now march off to your detention!"

James gave a dramatic sigh and trudged up the marble staircase. He heard Sirius snort before the two tiredly climbed the Grand Staircase. They finally glanced at each other and waved their arms, emitting the cable and zooming back up to the seventh-floor.

"This has to be the best equipment yet," Sirius fondly said as they retracted the cable.

He then promised that he would try to cause a diversion that would cut the detention short. James gave him a grateful smile before glumly entering the classroom.

"Hello, Potter," Professor Binns drawled, "Sit."

Professor Binns began to lecture him on the importance of not bombarding his classroom with Dungbombs and why one should not be out after hours. After a quarter of an hour, the lines still hadn't been touched. James rubbed his eye and briefly wondered exactly what Venator was doing outside Professor McGonagall's office. After forty-five minutes, his mind was nothing more than muck as he painfully listened to Binns' droning voice.

"Blimey," James muttered, "Where are you, Sirius?"

As if on cue, Sirius burst into the classroom. James grinned but his smile immediately faded as he saw how grave his friend looked.

"What?" James worriedly cried, "What is it?"

Sirius hesitated before grimly saying, "There's been an accident."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"There's been an accident."

"What?" James cried, his heart plummeting as he rose from the desk, "What accident?"

"Remus fell off the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower," Sirius anxiously explained.

"_He what?_" James yelped.

"He fell off the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower!" Sirius screamed, "He was taken to the Hospital Wing!"

A rushing noise filled James' ears and he felt a strange sensation run up his spine. He suddenly felt lightweight and intangible, as though he could move through the desks and slip through the floor. He found himself running with Sirius at his side. They practically flew down the steps of the Grand Staircase.

"What happened?" James shouted, once he found his voice, "Where you there?"

"No," Sirius panted, "Venator came and told me! He wanted me to stay with him but I knew that you needed to know so I broke free!"

He yelped in pain and momentarily stopped, clutching his leg.

"All right?" James anxiously cried.

"Forget about me," Sirius groaned, fighting through the pain as they raced on.

It was probably nothing. James kept mentally repeating this. They probably took him down to the Hospital Wing for good measure. Madam Pomfrey would patch him up and he would be on his way. A few bumps and bruises. Yet, the funny feeling was growing stronger as they approached the fourth floor. They ducked into the corridor and immediately ran into a thick crowd of Aurors and Healers. Any reassurance quickly left James. Why were there so many of them? They wouldn't be there unless something bad had happened. Maybe another student was injured? Yes. Lupin was probably getting a good view of everything. He could tell them all about it when they returned to the Common Room. But that bad feeling was gnawing at him.

"Let us through!" James roared, as they pushed past.

"Potter, Black!"

Professor McGonagall raced over with a sobbing Peter in tow.

"Be quiet, Mister Pettigrew," Professor McGonagall cried, though she didn't look too stern. Sirius and James reached out and the three managed to hold each other up, casting one another nervous looks. Professor McGonagall sadly frowned and was surprisingly speechless as she gazed down at the three boys hugging one another, their eyes shining with fear and dread.

"Where's Remus?" James asked, "Can we see him?"

"He's alright, isn't he?" Sirius questioned, uncertainly.

Peter merely let out another sob.

"Calm down," Professor McGonagall soothed, "I don't know."

"Well, come on!" James urged, "Let's go!"

"Not yet," Moody barked.

Moody?

James turned and saw that, sure enough, Moody was limping down the corridor with Mr. Potter, Kingsley, and Venator who explained, "I called in back up."

"Good," James gasped, "Thanks! Come on!"

"Minerva," Mr. Potter quietly said, "Can you keep them out here?"

"Of course," Professor McGonagall said; her lips thin and white.

"What?" James pressed, "What is it? Remus _is_ alright, isn't he?"

"He's…going to be alright," Mr. Potter hesitantly said.

"Let us see him!" Sirius begged.

"If he's going to be alright, why can't we see him?" Peter added.

"Why are there so many Aurors here?" James nervously asked, "I appreciate it but it's really unnecessary. Isn't it?"

Kingsley spoke up, "We need to investigate and rule out certain…certain possibilities."

"What possibilities?" James frantically pressed, "What's going on?'

Venator put his hand on James' shoulder—an action that shocked him. The Auror tried to look reassuring as he explained, "It's just a formality."

"What formality?" James cried, confused and afraid.

Mr. Potter took a deep breath and softly said, "The Aurors are here to help understand how Remus ended up falling. They need to decide if he slipped or was pushed or…"

"Or what?" James implored, "Those are the only two options, aren't they?"

"James," Sirius said, paling as he suddenly understood.

"What?" James asked, shaking with fear.

Mr. Potter hesitated before finishing, "We need to know if his fall was self-induced."

James felt as though he had been punched. He reeled back and suddenly felt extremely dizzy. No. He couldn't…Lupin wouldn't…Sirius was calling his name but he hardly noticed. He could feel his entire body pulsing and burning. Then suddenly it was quite cool, as his blood turned to ice. It was a horrible, gnawing, pain. He sat against the wall of the corridor.

His father was gently shaking him and asking, "James, are you still with me?"

James tried to argue this but his words came out in grumbles and slurred stutters.

Peter gave a nervous giggle and asked, "Why's he doing that?"

Professor McGonagall pulled Peter away. She went to do the same to Sirius but he shrugged away from her grasp and whispered, "Blimey, what's wrong with him?"

Why were they all staring at him? He was fine. Lupin was the one who was hurt. He slipped and fell from the tower. That was the only obvious scenario. Unless he had been pushed because that was also an option but he certainly hadn't…

His father was smiling. Why was he smiling? It was a funny sort of smile—it was tight and looked stuck. He put his hand on James' shoulder and said, "It's alright, James. You've been through a nasty bit of shock, son."

"Come on, James," Professor McGonagall said, using his given name, "Let's go down to the Great Hall and get something to eat. Misters Black and Pettigrew, come along."

"But we wanted to…" Sirius tried to protest.

"Please," Mr. Potter urged, "Sirius, please. I fully believe that nothing like the sorts happened but we need to investigate and you three are simply too close."

James didn't understand what he was saying but he felt Sirius put an arm around his shoulders and the two began to walk.

"Keep us informed," Sirius said after hesitating, "Please, just keep us informed."

"Of course," Kingsley softly said, "Don't worry. We'll take good care of him."

"And I'll take good care of them," Professor McGonagall assured the Aurors.

James blinked and he was in the Great Hall. The room was completely empty save for the other three. Other three, not four, not Lupin. He wasn't there. He was in the Hospital Wing because he had fallen off of the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower. Fallen. Not jumped. Not intentional. He had fallen. The table was lined with an assortment of food. James was slightly aware that he was pulling apart a dinner roll. Crumbs scattered onto his pants but he didn't care.

"Alright," Professor McGonagall was saying, "That's not quite what I meant when I asked you to eat but…"

"Why isn't he eating?" Peter asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Peter, have you tried this?" Sirius hurriedly said, handing him a weird looking pastry.

Peter didn't look interested and instead whined, "But he's not even eating it! He's just picking it apart!"

"Ssshhh," Professor McGonagall whispered before turning to James and ordering him to drink something from a vial. He tried to answer but it came out in a weird grunt.

"Give it here," Sirius quietly said.

The next thing James knew, a hot liquid was being forced down his throat. He coughed but the dizziness seemed to stop and he began to think clearly. He bashfully set down the butchered roll and shamefully said, "Sorry, I…I don't know what happened."

"Not a problem at all, Mister Potter," Professor McGonagall assured him, "You simply went into a state of shock. Quite understandable, giving the circumstances."

"Right," James said, before taking a deep breath before repeating, "Sorry."

"You ought to be," Sirius remarked, looking slightly annoyed, "Between one friend being injured, the other sobbing into his pumpkin juice, and you going…wherever it is you went…I had to be the mature one!"

"I said that I was sorry," James defensively snsapped, "Blimey, this is the same thing that happened when you were injured."

"Really?" Sirius asked, looking slightly deflated, "You went into shock?"

"He took a man's walking stick and smashed a complimentary drink dispenser," Peter muttered, "Then he kipped in the Owlery for a few hours. On the bright side, he had a smashing row with Fudge."

"Blimey," Sirius sadly said, "I'm sorry, mate. I didn't realize that…"

"You don't have to apologize," James quickly said, though he wasn't quite sure why.

Professor McGonagall answered his unasked question, "These things just happen. It's an unfortunate part of life."

James nodded before asking, "Professor, you don't really believe that Remus could have…intentionally fallen?"

"No, I do not," Professor McGonagall firmly said, "However, I would rather have them investigate and be wrong than have me firmly deny it and be wrong."

James shuddered and realized that she was right. And it was simply protocol. But the question still remained how he had fallen in the first place. James anxiously ruffled his hair; hell, he practically pulled it out. Sirius put a hand on his shoulder.

"Where were you?" James asked Peter, slightly pleased to see that he had stopped crying.

"Common Room," Peter whispered, "Sirius and I both were. Remus wanted to turn in his essay early so he went down…we should have been there."

"It's not your fault," James firmly said, "It's nobody's fault; especially not Remus' fault."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Venator and I were having tea," Professor McGonagall softly said, "Several students burst into my office to tell me that they had seen somebody fall."

"So, he wasn't there to see what had happened," James summarized, "It's a shame. He could have helped."

"Or he could have kicked whoever pushed him back to London," Sirius suggested. Upon seeing James' face he added, "I think that he was pushed. He's not clumsy enough to fall and he's certainly not…he wouldn't have intentionally fallen."

"That's not your call to make," Professor McGonagall said, regretfully.

"We're his best friends," James snapped, "Who else would know him better than us?"

Professor McGonagall gave him a pained look and quietly said, "Maybe you don't know him as well as you thought."

"What's there to know?" James asked, "He's not exactly a book of mysteries, is he?"

"Excuse me?"

The four turned around and saw that a woman was standing in the doorway. Dumbledore was standing next to her. James recognized the woman from Kings Cross.

"Mrs. Lupin," James said, rising, "Hello. I'm…I'm sorry to meet you under these circumstances. My name is James Potter and this is…"

"Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew," Mrs. Lupin finished with a watery smile, "Remus has told me all about you. You're the Marauders, aren't you?"

"Well, three-quarters of them," Sirius muttered, earning a nudge from Professor McGonagall.

"We were actually about to head back upstairs," James explained.

"Potter," Professor McGonagall warningly began.

James hated himself for it, but decided to go over her head by turning to Dumbledore and pleading, "Professor, we deserve to be up there! Remus is our best friend."

"We know that we can't be a part of the investigation," Sirius quickly added, "I know that we probably can't even get into the Hospital Wing to see him."

"But at least let us wait in the corridor," Peter finished, "This way we can be there if something bad happens."

James cringed at the thought.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed, "Minerva, I'll ask you to stay with them?"

"I was already planning on it," Professor McGonagall replied, with a sharp nod.

Dumbledore left with Mrs. Lupin; no doubt heading to his office to talk things over.

"Hang on," James suddenly said, "Mrs. Lupin's a Muggle. How can she see the castle?"

"I have no doubt that Professor Dumbledore lifted some of the enchantments in light of the events," Professor McGonagall explained.

"Where's Mr. Lupin?" Sirius asked.

"There is none," Professor McGonagall replied, looking slightly surprised, "Remus' mother is single."

"What?" James asked, looking round.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said, still looking mystified, "He walked out on them when Remus was a young boy. Surely he told you?"

"No," James mumbled, "He…he never mentioned it."

Professor McGonagall said nothing else and beckoned for them to follow her. They climbed the Grand Staircase and ducked back into the fourth floor corridor. The crowd of Aurors and Healers was still there, though it had thinned. James, Sirius, and Peter took a spot next to the wall. Professor McGonagall commanded them to stay for a minute and briskly walked away.

Sirius and Peter went to immediately follow but James sighed and said, "You know mates, I think that we'd be better off listening to her on this one."

As it turns out, Professor McGonagall had gone up to their dormitory. Upon returning, she gave them a quick lecture about having so much Auror equipment before handing them their blankets and pillows. She even thought to bring down Witherwings—Peter's stuffed hippogriff.

"What time is it?" James asked, as they accepted the bedding.

"Just past midnight," Professor McGonagall explained.

"Good thing that I don't sleep," James muttered. He brought his knees to his chest and draped the blanket over his shoulders. He donated his pillow to Sirius who combined it with his own pillow and propped his leg up. Peter lay right down in the middle of the corridor, curled up beneath his blanket. Professor McGonagall sat nearby, occasionally glancing over at the boys to ensure that they were alright. Eventually Sirius and Peter dozed off. James managed to nod off a few times but his slumber only lasted for a few minutes.

Twenty-four hours ago, he and Remus had been sprinting across the grounds. Now, Remus was in the Hospital Wing. James shouldn't have gone down to the lake. He wouldn't have gotten detention and he could have been there to help Remus.

No. This wasn't his fault. Not his fault. And it wasn't Remus' fault.

He rubbed his eye and asked, "Don't suppose that you have any coffee?"

Professor McGonagall stared at him for a moment before saying, "You're twelve!"

"Am I?" James mumbled. With everything that had occurred in the past few hours, James nearly felt older than Dumbledore. He shifted his position and quietly said, "Blimey, at this rate, we won't all live to see my thirteenth birthday."

Professor McGonagall grimaced and softly replied, "Why don't you at least try and get some sleep?"

"I'm good," James lied.

Professor McGonagall sighed and replied, "Life happens, Mister Potter, and I believe that that's what terrifies you. And I believe that that's why you won't sleep. You're afraid that you're going to miss something. But you're young. You've still got so much to see. You've got nearly six more years of school. That is, if you don't manage to get expelled. There's an endless amount of possibilities that you can do. A few hours of sleep is not going to compromise that."

James suddenly felt a stab of guilt at the mention of suspension.

"What is it?" Professor McGonagall asked, seeing the familiar look of culpability.

"Well," James said, slowly, "I never actually finished writing those lines."

Professor McGonagall nearly smiled and said, "You can make up for it. Besides, I still need to decide your punishment for being out of bed tonight."

"Oh, come on," James started before realizing that she was joking. He felt truly bewildered and haughtily asked, "Was that a joke? Was _the_ Professor McGonagall joking?"

"Don't read too far into it," Professor McGonagall barked.

James chuckled before abruptly leaping up as Venator, Kingsley, Moody, and his father came down the corridor. The motion caused Sirius to stir and mention something about cauldron cakes before also leaping to his feet and leaning on James' shoulder for support.

"Well," James demanded, "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Mr. Potter assured him, "A bit shaken but that's to be expected."

"Can we see him?" Peter asked, also waking and scrambling to his feet.

James didn't wait for a response. He and Sirius pressed past them and burst into the Hospital Wing with Peter in tow. Lupin's mother was already there, along with several other Healers, Dumbledore, and, surprisingly, Hagrid.

"Blimey mate," Lupin chastised, "You're going to wake the whole ward!"

"You fall off the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower and you're worried about everyone else," James chuckled, "Typical."

Lupin looked well for taking a fall. He was bandaged, bruised and exhausted but he was conscious and alert. He looked slightly more winded as Peter anxiously hugged him. James grinned and clapped a hand on Lupin's shoulder while Sirius thumped him on the back.

"Are you alright, then?" Peter anxiously asked.

"I'm fine," Lupin said, with a smile, "I bounced. Still managed to knock me unconscious for a while but it definitely beats the alternative."

James shuddered before quietly saying, "Remus, I'm sorry…but I need to ask…"

"I know what you're going to ask," Lupin patiently replied, "I've been asked by your father, my mother, Moody, Kingsley, Venator, Madam Pomfrey, and several other healers…I did not intentionally take that fall. I went down to turn in my essay and stepped out onto the balcony to look at the moon. I heard footsteps but just as I spun around, I felt something hard push me and the rest is history."

"I knew it!" Sirius said, triumphantly.

"Did you see who pushed you?" James urgently asked.

"So that we can push _them_ off the tower and into a pit of spikes," Sirius fiercely added.

Lupin shook his head, "No, I'm sorry. It all happened so fast."

"Don't be sorry," Venator growled, as he and the others entered, "You were still able to bounce!"

"Not many others could have had that good of a reaction time," Moody added.

"Oftentimes an Auror has to worry about protecting himself first and foremost," Mr. Potter gently said, "You did well, Remus."

"Thanks," Lupin modestly said, "I tried."

He sat up straighter and turned to the Marauders, asking, "So where have you been?"

"Well, first I was in detention," James explained, "Then I was in shock for a while; that's always fun. Then we were in the Great Hall. Then we were out in the corridor."

Lupin sighed, "I'm sorry that I put you guys thr…"

"Finish that apology and I will literally smack you," Sirius said, irritated, "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault."

Peter nodded and added, "It's the fault of whoever pushed you."

"Here's the thing," Moody quietly said, "We're going to be furthering the investigation to find out who would push you but until then…Potter, just remain calm and hear everything out."

"Okay?" James asked, slightly confused, "Why? What's going on?"

Professor McGonagall opened the door to the ward and James couldn't suppress a groan.

"It's okay," Mr. Potter said, "He's here to help."

"Indeed," Cornelius Fudge boomed, entering the room, "And I am so sorry to hear what happened, Mister Lupin."

Lupin tilted his head, trying to decipher the tone, but eventually thanked him.

Fudge put a briefcase on a spare bed and continued, "Now then…until we find the culprit, I'm afraid all four of you are categorized as being threatened. Therefore, we have no choice but to put you under supervision."

"Supervision?" James repeated, "What does that mean?"

"A supervisor," Fudge explained, "Will have to be with you at all times."

There was a moment's pause before the Marauders exploded.

"You're joking?" James roared.

"A babysitter?" Sirius howled.

"We're not babies!" Peter indignantly cried, squeezing his stuffed animal.

"Come off it," Lupin cried, "Honestly, we don't need…"

"It's protocol," Mr. Potter said, apologetically, "I'm sorry but there's no way out of it."

In the end, it wasn't as bad as James had originally thought.

Mr. Potter, Kingsley, Moody, Venator, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Madam Pomfrey, and even Dumbledore all signed a contract that Fudge produced.

"Mister Potter, I cannot stress this enough," Professor McGonagall crisply said, "We have no intentions of interfering with your lives. You should just act as though we're not there."

"Really?" James asked, skeptically crossing his arms.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall insisted.

The growing smirk on James' face was enough for Lupin to anxiously say, "Professor, are you sure that you know what you're getting into?"


End file.
